Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge in Olympic National Park destroyed

The Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge in the Olympic National Park was completely destroyed Sunday after it caught fire and burned to the ground.

A park ranger saw the fire around 4:30 p.m. Sunday and reported it to Clallam County Fire District 2 and Port Angeles Fire Department, who responded to the scene.

National Park Service eyes changes at Mount Rainier Park

The lodge was under construction for renovations set to complete in 2024. The lodge was originally built in 1952, and hosted hundreds of thousands of visitors before it was closed to replace the roof and update the weatherproofing and fire safety improvements.

When fire crews got to the scene, the lodge was fully engulfed in flames, the Olympic National Park said in a news release.

Clallam County Fire and Port Angeles Fire stayed to make sure the fire smoldered out and did not spread, and are currently cleaning up the site.

“The Day Lodge, located in the most easily accessed high alpine area of the park, had been under construction since March 27 and was closed to visitors,” the park said. “The 17-mile mountain road leading up to the building has also been closed since construction began. Park officials say the structure appears to be a complete loss. The building was built in the 1950s and housed interpretive exhibits upstairs and a gift shop and a small café run by Aramark, a park concessionaire.”

No one was in the lodge during the fire, and there were no injuries.

Olympia National Park has not released any possible causes for the fire.