A fire on Friday evening provided a spectacle for those attending the Sun Valley Food & Wine Festival VIP champagne reception at the new Elkhorn Springs Restaurant.
The last remaining building of the defunct Elkhorn Resort was in the midst of being demolished by Bellevue-based Sluder Construction when the top floor became engulfed in flames. The demolition process began last Wednesday.
Sun Valley Fire Chief Jeff Carnes said the demolition crew called the fire department at 5:24 p.m. after seeing smoke coming from the fourth-floor windows.
Carnes said a thick steel cable, connected to two large excavators, was being used to saw through the building between the third and fourth floors. It apparently created enough heat to ignite material in the building.
"It's just like starting a campfire with two pieces of wood," Carnes said Tuesday. "The demolition crew had anticipated a possible fire and had already borrowed a couple hundred feet of fire hose to douse the building."
This was not enough to put out the fire, and Carnes said that by 5:30 p.m. his department had an engine on the scene, which was quickly accompanied by another engine, three support vehicles and 18 firefighters.
In addition, Carnes said that due to the height and the unstable condition of the building, he requested the aerial tower from the Ketchum Fire Department, as per the departments' mutual aid agreement.
Along with the tower, the Ketchum Fire Department sent six firefighters and Assistant Chief Robbie Englehart.
With the tower in place, Carnes said the firefighters were able to pour water into the attic and quickly knock the fire down. However, the fire continued to flare up approximately every 20 minutes, Carnes said.
Carnes said the Ketchum Fire Department left the scene after a couple hours when the fire was under control, but that his engines remained on the scene until 2 a.m. in order to ensure that the fire was completely extinguished.
Despite the close proximity of the party, no spectators were in danger, although their cars were covered with ash, Carnes said.
The last remnant of the old Elkhorn Resort caught fire on Friday evening during its demolition, giving participants at a nearby Sun Valley Food & Wine Festival VIP champagne reception an exciting diversion. Photo by Sabina Dana Plasse
