Fire Destroys Homewood Mountain Resort Lodge Near Lake Tahoe
HOMEWOOD (CBS13) — A ski resort was left looking like a ghost town on Wednesday after a fire destroyed one of the resort's lodges.
The fire ripped through the building which house a restaurant, bar, and administrative offices. No one was hurt, but the building is a total loss.
"It was a shock. Lost a lot of sleep. A lot of memories shared in there," said Bernd Reynolds, looking at what was left of the charred building.
Bernd Reynolds grew up in Tahoe. His family now lives here. Just like he did, Reynolds daughter is learning to ski on the mountain.
"Our locker room was in the basement there and now it's burned out," said Reynolds, a former member of the youth speed skiing team.
"It's really sad," said Jay Philbrick, a vacation homeowner in Homewood.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw everything this morning," said Philbrick.
The fire sparked around 3:00 a.m. The operations at Homewood were closed for the day.
"The fire is still under investigation but as you can see it is a heavily damaged structure," said Beth Kenna with the North Lake Tahoe Fire Department.
A Homewood spokesperson says while the building loss is unfortunate, it doesn't affect plans already underway before the fire, to redevelop the iconic ski resort.
"Probably they were going to tear it down anyway," said Philbrick.
The multi million dollar plan includes a hotel and retail space. The owners, JMA Ventures, recently cleared a legal hurdle and are set to break ground this spring.
Philbrick has mixed feelings.
"You want to keep it the way it is because that's why you come here," said Philbrick.
On the other hand, Philbrick says his home price will likely increase.
A burned lodge giving way to the new development.
"Hopefully something good comes of the fire," Reynolds said.
A spokesperson for Homewood says they plan to open all operations on Thursday. People with tickets for Wednesday can contact guest services for information about changing their ticket dates or obtaining a refund.
