Fire destroys lodge in Delta Junction for second time in 6 years

An early morning fire Tuesday destroyed the Clearwater Lodge in Delta Junction, the second time the business burned to the ground in six years.

Multiple fire departments were dispatched just after 2 a.m. to a report that the lodge was engulfed in flames, according to the Delta Wind newspaper. Crews from the Rural Deltana, Delta Junction and Fort Greely fire departments responded. The cause of the fire is unknown.

The lodge, first built in the 1950s, was rebuilt after a fire in May 2014 destroyed it. A 16-year-old boy was charged with arson in connection to that fire.

The Ewing family reopened the lodge in 2016. Word of the fire Tuesday morning was met with sadness in the community.

“Everyone I talk to in town is shocked,” said Mary Leith, city administrator for Delta Junction.

A deputy state fire marshal from Fairbanks is assisting in the Alaska State Troopers investigation of the fire, troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain said.

Correction: This story was updated to show it was a teenaged boy charged with arson in the 2014 fire that destroyed the original lodge.

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