Fire destroys Gold Rush Days cookhouse at Dimond Park
No one injured in early-morning blaze
A 20-by-40-foot frame structure used as the cookhouse for Gold Rush Days in Dimond Park burned to the ground early this morning.
Firefighters received a call at 4:59 a.m., said Capt. Beth Weldon of Capital City Fire & Rescue. When firefighters arrived, the structure was fully engulfed by flames, which they extinguished from the outside.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Weldon said. No one was injured in the blaze.
Gold Rush Days Chairman Calvin Crumrine said the group plans to rebuild the structure, which also served as a storage facility for tables, chairs and equipment. Particularly important were parts of the large tent used by vendors during Gold Rush Days, an annual summer fair at which miners and loggers from around the country strut their stuff in competitions and exhibitions.
The fire "shouldn't have a great impact on the event itself," Crumrine said. "Depending on how quickly we are able to raise funds to rebuild, we might be more reliant on vendors under the tent this year for food, as opposed to the big breakfasts."
During the period between Gold Rush Days celebrations, the structure was not insured for fires, Crumrine said. He gave a preliminary estimate of the damage at $20,000 to $30,000, including damage to equipment.
"We didn't have a lot of expensive equipment stored under there, with the exception of the support poles for the tent," Crumrine said. "These are metal poles, so the question is whether or not the heat of the fire has damaged them."
If the poles are damaged, Crumrine said, replacement costs will increase significantly.
The building was not wired for electricity or gas, Crumrine said. He and his wife, Gold Rush Days Secretary Arlene Crumrine, said they suspect arson. In the past, parts of the structure have been vandalized, and trash has been left in the building.
"We were out there taking pictures this morning" after the fire, Arlene Crumrine said. "It was pretty sad. It just looked like a derelict with the snow falling around it ... You just stood there and tears rolled down your cheeks like, 'Why?' There was no reason for it at all."
Genevieve Gagne-Hawes can be reached at nrclerk@juneauempire.com.