Newly remodeled event center burns in fire
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LAVA HOT SPRINGS — A building that was being remodeled and would have opened as an event center was damaged by a fire over the weekend.
It happened right off of Highway 30 at a business around 6:45 a.m. on Sunday.
“It (the building) did sustain heavy damage in areas. Heavy smoke and heat damage in other areas,” said Brian Owens, a deputy fire marshal with the Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The log building was originally built as a steakhouse. New owners took over and were remodeling the building, turning it into an event center for anyone to rent. According to the Lava Hot Springs Fire Chief, the owners were getting ready to open the event center.
“The building itself is intact and I think it’s going to be salvageable. There’s minor structural damage. Most of the fire was surface materials, loose materials, items and equipment in the building. It’s a log building so that’s why that’s the case the structure itself didn’t burn significantly,” said Chief Ken Fagnant.
The Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office determined the cause of the fire was due to spontaneous combustion. According to a Facebook post made by the office, “The owners were renovating the building and left oil (stain) soaked rags out. A good reminder for DYI’ers to always dispose of soaked rags in air-tight containers. It’s also a good idea to leave these containers outdoors, away from structures for good measure.”
There’s no word as to how much money was lost in the building as insurance adjusters are assessing the damage. There were no injuries reported.