Small fire at Snake Pit stopped in its tracks
Mike North with Shoshone County Fire District No. 2 dumps a shovel's worth of debris from a small chimney fire that broke out inside the Snake Pit on New Year's Day. The fire was quickly put out and should only require a few days closure to repair some light damage.
Photo by JOSH McDONALD
ENAVILLE — The oldest restaurant in Idaho gave everyone quite a scare last week after a fire broke out in its iconic chimney.
Emergency crews from Shoshone County Fire District No. 2 responded to the historic Snake Pit last Friday morning.
Restaurant staff had noticed that the normal residual smoke from the building’s popular river stone fireplace was hanging around longer than usual. Upon closer inspection, they noticed some smoldering near the chimney where it meets the ceiling in the center of the building.
The staff quickly called 911 and evacuated their breakfast customers. Emergency crews arrived a short time later and were able to get the situation under control before any major damage could be done.
According to Snake Pit owner Tom Richards, who spoke with SCFD Chief Mark Aamodt, the current hypothesis is that some wood began smoldering due to the heat coming from the chimney, which could have started anywhere from a few hours to possibly even a few weeks before it’s discovery.
That or there could possibly be a crack in the chimney liner, which Richards had replaced five years ago when he purchased the restaurant.
With the open fireplace, even the slightest presence of smoke would have easily gone unnoticed.
Richards was pleased with his staff’s quick response and praised the crews from SCFD No. 2 for their quick response, as well as their concern for the building and it’s historic decor.
“Everyone here has been so impressed with the fire department,” Richards said. “They have shown such a great deal of professionalism and care, not just for the building but also for the irreplaceable artifacts that we have.”
Anyone who has been inside Idaho’s oldest restaurant knows that it houses many unique curiosities such as wildlife mounts, classic belt buckles, antique furniture, and even a rare portrait of President Theodore Roosevelt. Crews assisted in removing many of these artifacts before using water to extinguish the small fire.
“The animals are replaceable, that portrait of Teddy Roosevelt is not,” Richards said.
Richards announced on Facebook that the Snake Pit plans to reopen on Friday, Jan. 8 with their normal hours after they've had a chance to dry everything up.