UPDATE: Heise Hot Springs will reopen Saturday after crews contain explosive fire
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UPDATE
All Heise Hot Springs pools will reopen to the public on Saturday, after Central Fire District firefighters successfully contained an intense blaze that erupted from a pump house at the resort at about 8 p.m. Friday night.
No one was injured in the fire, and all Heise patrons and employees were successfully evacuated.
“There was no chlorine leak. Everything was contained,” said Central Fire District Chief Nic White.
Heise Hot Springs clarified that the fire was limited to the “slide pump room and some nearby facilities,” in a Facebook post Friday at 11:47 p.m..
“The Summer Pool building, slide and all pools are all okay,” the resort shared. “The pools will be open for regular hours tomorrow, but the slide will not be running do to damage in pump room.”
The fire ignited next to the big Heise swimming pool, not the smaller hot pool, the chief said.
White said that flames first started in the boiler room/electrical room.
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
Fire crews arrived quickly on the scene, but needed to wait for Rocky Mountain Power personnel to cut off the electricity to the building before they could attack the fire.
“It was right by the generator room as well,” White said. “So the generator was kind of back-feeding a little bit of power back in.”
Once the power was disconnected from the lines, fire crews quickly extinguished the flames in approximately 10 minutes.
White said that the purple flames flaring from the building, captured in photos from witnesses at the blaze, were likely caused by burning copper wiring – not by chlorine.
While some chlorine may have burned in the filtration system, the main chlorine tanks did not catch fire.
“We were able to isolate the chlorine tanks (and) turn them off, so there was no chlorine leak,” White said.
Because no leak was detected, only the pool areas were evacuated, he said. No homeowners in the area were required to leave.
All the firefighters donned SCBA masks to protect them from breathing in potential chlorine particles.
“If there was chlorine, it’s more of an inhalation hazard,” White said.
More than 20 firefighters from Central Fire District’s Ririe and Rigby stations responded at the scene.
Central Fire District deployed three fire engines, one water tender, an ambulance and a light truck to provide illumination once the electricity was shut off at Heise Hot Springs.
The main lodge was also damaged by smoke and total damages are estimated at $150,000 to $200,000, White said.
“We’re so thankful for the support from our community and appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers,” the resort shared on Facebook. “We are truly grateful that it wasn’t worse.”
ORIGINAL STORY
HEISE — Emergency crews are on the scene of a fire at Heise Hot Springs.
It started in the boiler room next to the snack bar in the swimming area around 8 p.m., according to multiple people who were at the resort Friday night.
“Initially, it was the boiler room was on fire, but it sounds like it spread quite a bit,” Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Jennifer Fullmer said.
Everyone in the hot pools at Heise Hot Springs has been evacuated as firefighters work to battle the blaze.
Videos and photos sent to EastIdahoNews.com show large flames and massive plumes of smoke billowing into the air.
The fire was first reported at 8:09 p.m., Fullmer confirmed.
Central Fire District’s Ririe and Rigby stations are responding at the scene.
Central Fire Chief Nic White said he will provide additional information and the cause once the fire has been contained.
This is a breaking news story. We will update as we learn more information.
