Marble Mountain Ski Resort assessing damage after chair lift fire

Staff at the Marble Mountain Ski Resort near Corner Brook are in recovery mode after fire extensively damaged a hut and chair lift terminal on Friday.

The fire gutted the Gov'nor's Express chair lift terminal and burned the nearby lift shack to the ground. The resulting damage snapped the cables holding the ski lift chairs, dropping them to the ground below.

Witnesses reported seeing lightning hit the area shortly before the fire.

However, the resort's general manager, Chris Beckett, said while there was lightning in the area, "it's undetermined at this time whether lightning caused the fire."

"We [will] have some lift manufacturer personnel on the ground early this week along with our insurance representatives to try and determine what caused this fire," he said.

Beckett said it's too soon to put a dollar figure on the cost of repairs, but added they should be covered by insurance.

He said the scene on Friday was disheartening and disappointing, but was confident things will be back to normal for the opening of this winter's ski season.

"Boxing day is five months away, and through our telephone conversations with the lift manufacturer they are currently sourcing items that we know that we need. And they are feeling comfortable that they can get most of it to us ... to get that lift back open for this coming winter season," Beckett said.