BowNut Report post Posted May 10, 2011 GREER, Ariz. -- Fire destroyed the main lodge of the historic Greer Lodge Resort & Cabins in northern Arizona early Tuesday morning. Details were not immediately available, but neighbors and local fire crews said the fire broke out in the main lodge building at about 4:30 a.m. The ruins on of the building were still smoldering two hours later. It's not yet known if any of the other buildings were affected. Established in 1948, the Greer Lodge Resort, which sits on the Little Colorado River, has been a popular getaway for decades. It was originally a destination for church retreats, but later began filling the rooms with guests when their were vacancies. The lodge's popularity as a guest destination took off almost immediately, leading to the construction of the first cabin on the property -- Little Lodge -- in 1959. Today the resort consists of more than 50 free-standing cabins in addition to the historic main building that burned. It's not known how the fire started or if there were any injuries. Information will be updated as it becomes available. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Non-Typical Solutions Report post Posted May 10, 2011 My first experiences to the white mountains were cabins rented in greer from the Wiltbanks. 1963 as a three year old we have pictures of trout hanging on a willow stringer caught on the little colorado. Sad to see the lodge burn to the ground, hope they can rebuild it. Great memories from that area through the years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.270 Report post Posted May 10, 2011 now that's some rotten @$$ed news. man, what a fantastic building. how in the heck did it go up so fast? takes awhile for them big ol' logs to light up. musta been a gas leak or some deal. that is just too dang bad. glad nobody got hurt. Lark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted May 10, 2011 Wow, that is sad.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billrquimby Report post Posted May 10, 2011 Our cabin is about 1/2 mile from the lodge, and my wife and I slept through the excitement. We first learned of it when we turned on our satellite TV and got Phoenix Channel 3's news at 6:30 this morning. I drove up there about the same time news helicopters from Phoenix were arriving, but by then there was nothing left of the lodge but its fireplace. The fire began at about 4 a.m. from a still-unknown cause, We who live in Greer were lucky in that there was no wind last night or this morning and the fire did not spread to other structures. Yesterday, though, we'd had 50 mph winds. If the fire had erupted then and spread north through the canyon our entire village might have gone up in flames. Bill Quimby Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stanley Report post Posted May 10, 2011 Bummer for sure...... So many AZ natives (myself included.....) and/or long time residents have great memories there. Molly Butler, fishing in the Little Colorado, Mt. Baldy wilderness...... All great memories from White Mountain camping/fishing trips as a kid! Ditto Lark! Glad no one was hurt! S. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billrquimby Report post Posted May 10, 2011 I was told that there were only two guests staying the lodge and both got out safely. If it had been a weekend, the place would have been packed. The talk around the village is that workmen had been painting and varnishing inside the lodge yesterday and that people who ate there last night had noticed heavy paint and varnish fumes. Whether that contributed to the fire isn't known. Bill Quimby Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted May 10, 2011 Peg and I ate there several times and like everyone else are sad to say the least for the ownners and the community. I hope the owners rebuld quickly so the beautiful valley is cleared of the black eye it received last night. Bill......glad to hear the winds had died down and you and your neighbors are safe. TJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Santana Outdoors Report post Posted May 10, 2011 How sad, we ate there for last New Years Eve. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billrquimby Report post Posted May 10, 2011 Peg and I ate there several times and like everyone else are sad to say the least for the ownners and the community. I hope the owners rebuld quickly so the beautiful valley is cleared of the black eye it received last night. Bill......glad to hear the winds had died down and you and your neighbors are safe. TJ Thanks, TJ. What is scary for us is that we heard nothing and slept right through it. If the firefighters hadn't been able to contain it to the lodge, we would never have known there was a fire in our little valley until it was too late to escape. Bill Quimby Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coach Report post Posted May 10, 2011 Man - that is really sad. My wife and I had our honeymoon there many years ago, and were hoping to go back for our anniversary this year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BikerRN Report post Posted May 11, 2011 I'm sorry to hear this news. I spent some time there as a kid and the wife and I were there last year for our Anniversary. Biker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
