Joining a National Debate - Klondike Sun

THE KLONDIKE SUN
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2013
Klondike River Lodge Destroyed by Fire
P9
Story & Photos
By Dan Davidson
The Klondike River Lodge,
located at the Dempster Corner
on the Klondike Highway, has
burned to the ground.
Dawson Fire Chief Jim
Regimbal says his department
got a call from members of
the territorial Highways Dept.
shortly after 8 a.m. on Sunday
morning.
While in transit to the lodge,
which is 40 kilometres from
Dawson, Regimbal says he
raised the Klondike Valley
Fire Dept., which had half the
distance to travel and got there
before Dawson’s crew.
By the time both departments
reached the scene the main
building was beyond saving.
“It was down to the ground
when we got there,” Regimbal
said.
Indeed, by just after noon
there was nothing left of the
main structure, which had
contained the convenience
store, restaurant and motel
complex, other than the tin
roofing sitting on top of the
rubble, with faint smoke still
rising.
The tire shed and garage to
the south of
the compound
was not
d a m a g e d ,
nor were
the various
outbuildings
on the
p r o p e r t y ,
including the
staff housing
trailers, both
single and
double-wide
structures.
The above
ground fuel tanks, on the far
side of the tire shed, were not
touched and had been drained.
The lodge had closed for the
winter back in September, as it
has for the last several years.
The Lodge has been in
operation since the early
1970s. Filling up at its station
before beginning a trip on the
Dempster Highway was advised
on most travel websites, as the
next gas station was at Eagle
Plains, 360 km up the road.
The scene attracted visitors
from town and the surrounding
area during the day and the
compound remained closed off
to anyone not involved in the
investigation.
“We’ve turned it over to the
RCMP,” Regimbal said, “and
we’ll have to wait on their
investigation to determine the
origin and cause.”
Regimbal said the lodge,
which has been through a
number of owners during its
history, is currently owned by
Brian MacCarthy, of Inuvik,
who is presently on holidays,
but has been contacted.
The fire that destroyed the
Klondike River Lodge has
been ruled not suspicious.
According to Regimbal, quoted
in the January 4 Yukon News, the
investigation has determined it
was possibly an electrical fire.