Hurricane Ridge lodge in Olympic National Park destroyed by fire Sunday
The Hurricane Ridge day lodge, a popular stop for people exploring the Olympic Peninsula, has burned to the ground. It happened Sunday, in the middle of a rehabilitation project that was set for completion next spring.
According to a news release from the National Park Service, the fire was reported at around 4:30 p.m. May 7 by a law enforcement ranger on patrol, who reported that the structure was engulfed in flames. Clallam County Fire District 2 officials posted on social media that the structure had already collapsed to the foundation by the time the first fire units arrived.
Nobody was inside the building at the time, and no injuries were reported, according to the park service. Clallam County Fire District 2 and Port Angeles Fire remained working at the site until about 7:30 p.m.
It’s unclear how the fire started, according to the park service news release.
The lodge, located south of Port Angeles, was built in the 1950s and housed exhibits, a gift shop and cafe.
The building was closed March 27 for an $11 million Great American Outdoors Act rehabilitation project, and so was the road leading up to the lodge. The lodge was set to reopen in 2024, but the road to Hurricane Ridge was going to open this Memorial Day weekend.
“The loss of the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center is devastating for the Olympic Peninsula and for the more than 300,000 travelers who visit the iconic visitor center every year. I am working with (Interior) Secretary (Deb) Haaland and the National Park Service to make sure this historic lodge is rebuilt,” U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, said in a Monday statement.
