LUTSEN, Minn. — A popular tavern in the Lutsen Mountains has been lost to a fire.
Papa Charlie's, which had served as a music and dining venue for the resort, was destroyed by a fire, according to a post from Lutsen Mountains.
Cook County officials said in a press release that the sheriff's office was alerted to the fire around 6 a.m. Saturday.
Multiple departments rushed to the scene, but ultimately the building was considered a complete loss.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this tragic loss, Papa Charlie’s holds a special place in everyone’s heart and mind. We are fortunate that we have such a wonderful volunteer public safety response in Cook County to prevent further loss,” said Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen.
"Sadly, we lost our beloved Papa Charlie's restaurant today in a fire. We thank the six local volunteer fire departments that responded keeping the fire contained to the Papa Charlie's building and keeping everyone safe," Lutsen Mountains said in a social media post.
Lutsen Mountains also said all of its servers and network equipment were located in the restaurant, meaning resort communication will be limited until their equipment is restored.
General Manager Jim Vick said no other areas of the resort were impacted. The Lutsen team even ran the nearby gondola during the fire to prevent it from heating up.
"They were able to keep it contained," Vick said. "The fact that it spread nowhere, didn't blister paint or anything, even on the adjacent buildings. Matter of fact, even the decks out back are still intact, remarkably. No one was hurt and it didn't go any further than that building. Those are all blessings."
The Papa Charlie's building first opened in 1996. Since the fire, Vick said they've heard from guests and former employees from around the world.
"There is a big emotional connection to it," Vick said. "The outpouring from guests, friends, community, musicians since hearing the news has been just a constant flood of folks with emotions and memories from the place. You come up to the North Shore, you come up to Lutsen to experience all the great outdoor activity we have: skiing, hiking, mountain biking. And then the social part of it is you gather afterward in Papa Charlie's. It's an event kind of place and you get to celebrate what you've done. And so that's where those memories are cemented. And it just has become such an integral part of their experience up here that I mean, it's hit a large community very deeply."
Vick said he's hopeful they'll rebuild, but it's too soon to set a timetable.
The Minnesota State Fire Marshal is leading the investigation into the cause of the fire.
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