This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Unified Fire Authority — after returning Saturday to the scene of a blaze that nearly destroyed the popular Roundhouse Restaurant at Solitude Ski Resort — said the investigation into the cause will continue into next week.
Heavy equipment will be needed to move the debris safely, according to the UFA.
UFA spokesman Dave Ulibarri said nightfall had initially forced investigators to suspend their efforts to determine the cause of the blaze, first reported at 3:30 p.m. Friday. The restaurant was vacant, and no firefighters were injured.
However, lack of water — the resort was in the process of draining pipes as it closes down some facilities for the summer — and steep, snowy conditions that limited access to snowmobiles, delayed firefighters response, Ulibarri said.
Crews ended up largely in a defensive mode, making sure flames did not spread from the eatery, also known to skiers in Big Cottonwood Canyon as the Himalayan Hut, to surrounding forest lands.
The fire was out by 7:20 p.m. Friday, but about 15 firefighters remained on the scene overnight, mopping up hot spots and watching for flareups.
While an official cause and damage estimate awaited investigators' conclusions, Ulibarri said the fire did not appear suspicious in origin — and while the 1950's era wood and concrete restaurant was heavily damaged, it was not a total loss.
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