Blaze razes iconic Wolf Lodge Inn Steakhouse on Labor Day

The Wolf Lodge Inn Steakhouse, an iconic staple of the Coeur d’Alene area for decades, burned down Monday afternoon.

Firefighters were alerted to an attic and chimney fire shortly after noon. Engines and firefighters from 11 different fire agencies responded to the blaze, Kootenai County Fire Chief Christopher Way said. By the time the fire was contained at 2:44 p.m., the North Idaho steakhouse had been leveled, though nearby buildings were undamaged by fire.

Water had to be trucked to the fire due to the lack of a nearby hydrant, Way said. Twenty fire engines, ladder trucks or tenders were brought to the scene.

“I can’t remember the last time we had a four -alarm fire,” Way said.

Three firefighters sustained minor injuries. A person inside the building sustained burns and was transported to the hospital, Way said. The injured civilian was identified by staff as an assistant manager of the restaurant who was injured attempting to put out the fire before it spread.

“He did everything he could and was, I would say, heroic in his attempt,” said Travis Anderson, who has worked at the Wolf Lodge for a month shy of 22 years and arrived roughly 20 minutes after the fire started.

The Wolf Lodge was a convenience store when it was built in 1938, and had been a steakhouse just off Interstate 90 since 1982 when it was converted by Wally and Patti Wickel.

People located at the nearby Wolf Lodge Campground when the fire began were told to shelter in place to prevent the narrow two-lane road leading up to the building from being clogged by traffic, as there was no immediate risk of the fire spreading in that direction, Way said.

Greg Adkins had driven from Oak Harbor, Washington, to stay at the campground with his family, but had been boating on Lake Coeur d’Alene with his son and his son’s family when the fire began. By 3 p.m., he was still waiting to be allowed to pass by the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office – which was containing traffic on the street in and out of the campground – to reach his wife, who was at the campground and sheltering in place.

“She’s scared of the water, so she didn’t go with us,” he said.

A summer destination for many, the Wolf Lodge meant something more to those who work there, said Arianna Beatty, a 23-year-old mother of two who has worked at the steakhouse as a server for three to four years.

“This is like a career job, and I found it so early in life – I feel really lucky,” Beatty said as she stood across the street from the restaurant with other staff. The serving job had helped her move into her own place, but it has been more than a job for those work there, she added.

“We go on vacation together, we go to concerts together. It’s not just a restaurant, it’s a family, and there’s no replacing that” she said. “We don’t have a turnover rate. Me being here four years? I’m still new.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Way said. That investigation will be headed by the state Fire Marshal’s office.