Fire at Timberline Lodge Temporarily Closes Ski Area, Response Results in Minimal Damage

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SAM Magazine—Government Camp, Ore., April 19, 2024—A fire at the historic Timberline Lodge Thursday night was successfully extinguished roughly 90 minutes after it was reported. The lodge and the ski area were both closed today as the investigation and clean-up continued.

Timberline posted an update this afternoon that the ski area will reopen tomorrow, Saturday, April 20, and if inspections go well, the lodge will reopen as soon as Sunday, April 21.

The fire was reported in the headhouse attic and its exterior roof area at around 9:30 p.m. Thursday night, according to a statement from the resort. The multi-alarm response from local stations resulted in the fire being extinguished by approximately 11 p.m. All guests and staff were successfully evacuated from the building without incident.

“All things considered, fire and subsequent water damage is benign and contained to the central areas of the Historic Lodge, including the headhouse and main lobby areas,” said this afternoon’s update from Timberline. “Investigations are expected to conclude today. It appears fireplace embers ignited the roof but did not penetrate the hotel interior.”

Timberline noted the swift action by first responders—including staff members—was the primary reason the fire didn’t cause more damage to the 55,000-square-foot lodge, which opened in 1937.

“Timberline extends the greatest amount of gratitude to our first responders: Hoodland Fire, Clackamas Fire, Estacada Fire, Portland Fire, Gresham Fire, and the United States Forest Service. Timberline staff deserves a heartfelt thank you and acknowledgement for exemplary performance, initially responding to the fire and safely evacuating guests without injury or incident. Without these teams and individuals, the outcome would have been very different.

We would also like to thank everyone for the tremendous amount of support received from around the globe. Timberline is a special place because of you,” the update said.

Ed. Note: Timberline is a special place to us at SAM, too. The Historic Lodge and ski area have been home to Cutter’s Camp—our annual educational event for terrain park professionals—for 20 years. We join Timberline Lodge fans worldwide in breathing a collective sigh of relief knowing the resort and its amazing staff are doing well following the scare. And we join Timberline in thanking the first responders who jumped to action and prevented disaster.