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NEWPORT — A fire at the local Bear Paw Camp and Retreat Center resulted in the destruction of a bathhouse on the property.
The fire was reported to have reached the roof of the small 200-squarefoot outbuilding, which was next to a swimming facility, around 10:26 p.m. Thursday, April 9.
Units from South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue, along with mutual aid units from Fire District 4 and the Kalispel Tribe, responded to the report. However, by the time they arrived, SPOFR Chief Shane Stocking said the fire had fully engulfed the bathhouse.
“There’s no acceptable level of risk involved with trying to save a bathhouse that’s already fully involved,” Stocking said.
As such, the responders focused on preventing the fire from spreading to surrounding brush or structures. They succeeded, Stocking said, suppressing the fire within just 30 minutes.
“That’s kind of the best thing we could hope for is preventing any injuries, preventing anybody from getting hurt and preventing extension,” Stocking said. “And they did a good job.”
The fire destroyed the bathhouse so quickly that it would be impossible, Stocking said, for SPOFR to determine the cause. However, he speculates that the fire was at least in part caused by a sauna and chimney in the bathhouse; both were used for the first time in a long time earlier that day.
“That would be an area of interest,” Stocking said. As of Monday, April 13, neither the bathhouse owners nor insurers have requested a formal investigation into the fire.
In the last week alone, SPOFR has responded to seven brush fires. Though none were bigger than an acre, Stocking said this was not a good sign for the fire season ahead. State officials have already declared a month-early start to the fire season this year.
Stocking advises residents to follow fire safety tips both indoors and outdoors, pointing to the state Department of Natural Resources’ upcoming burn restrictions.
“If you are going to burn and are allowed to, follow all applicable rules and monitor your fire,” Stocking said. “Because we had a very dry winter, and it could make for a long fire season.”
