Fire destroys mountaintop restaurant at Northstar Ski Resort

No one was injured in Friday's fire, which destroyed the Summit Deck and Grill at the top of the Northstar Ski Resort on Mount Pluto, elevation 8,610 feet.

"It was very spectacular because it was night," said Northstar Fire Capt. Roy Bain, one of the first on the scene. "It lit up the countryside."

Firefighters climbed the mountain in all-terrain snow cats after a worker grooming the slopes reported the flames at 3:51 a.m. They ended up letting the fire burn itself out. The cause remained under investigation.

"The one nice thing was the timing. Nobody was here. Nobody was hurt," said Kelli Twomey, a spokeswoman for the resort.

Damage was estimated in excess of $1.5 million, she said. The main wooden structure was destroyed along with a retail counter, outdoor grill and restrooms, she said.

The resort intends to rebuild the restaurant and plans to have a temporary bar and grill near the summitt within the next few weeks.

Two chair lifts were closed until about 10:30 a.m., but otherwise things were back to normal by midday at the Sierra Nevada resort between Truckee and Tahoe City, Twomey said.

"The response time was outstanding by the Northstar and Truckee fire departments," she said. "The mountain's back in full operation."

Investigators for the two fire departments were trying to determine a cause, but arson is not suspected, Twomey said.

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