FARMINGTON (KDKA) – Officials plan to be back to skiing within a couple of days despite a massive fire that destroyed a lodge at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort Sunday night.

The Sundial Ski Lodge at Nemacolin Woodlands Resorts’ Mystic Mountain, built in 1995, went up in flames around 8 p.m. Sunday and was still burning late Monday.

Fire crews from 13 different companies in four counties responded to the fire, but there was little they could do to save the structure.

Firefighters were hampered by heavy smoke and intense heat when they arrived.

The heat burned and melted their hoses and even shattered glass on some of the fire trucks.

“Upon arrival, we encountered heavy smoke conditions from the building. The sprinkler system did activate, but the fire was so big inside that the sprinklers couldn’t keep up with it. Nine degree temperatures caused a lot of problems for water supply. We had freezing issues for the trucks,” Farmington Volunteer Fire Chief Brian Vansickle said.

The glow from the fire could be seen up to 30 miles away.

Despite all of that, officials have already begun making arrangements in order to be back open for business in a couple of days.

“Honestly, that’s the first thing a couple people said when we were in the car watching. We’re like, “Okay, what are we going to do next weekend?’ We’re in the building right now where we’re going to be running our food and beverage operations. We’ve got a rental company on the phone for ski rentals and we’re going to put tents up and we’re going to ski, simple as that. It’s what we do,” General Manager Chris Plummer said.

One firefighter was taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Two employees were inside the lodge at the time of the fire, but they were able to get out safely. The cause of the fire may never be known due to the extent of the damage.

The resort plans to reopen Friday, February 17 for President’s Day weekend. The CaddyShack Restaurant will be used as a temporary lodge and ski rentals will operate out of a heated tent.

RELATED LINKS:

Nemacolin Woodlands Resort’s Mystic Mountain Ski Lodge
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Fire Erupts At Nemacolin Resort Ski Lodge