LAKE VERMILION- An alert guest and the quick actions of staff, guests and emergency responders averted a major disaster when a fire broke out early Sunday at the Life of Riley Resort on Norwegian Bay. Even so, they couldn’t keep four buildings devoted to guest services from burning to the ground.
“The guests first saw the fire at about 1:10 in the morning,” owner Rock Gillson said on Tuesday. “It was in the gazebo, and he started to raise the ruckus as the fire burned through the building.”
As Cook Fire and Ambulance units, a Department of Natural Resources tanker, and others raced to the scene, resort staff and guests deployed two pumps in the lake that fed inch-and-a-half hoses that they used to try to buy some time.
“Trying to slow or curb the blaze after it started was really difficult,” Gillson said. “It moved from the gazebo to the bait house, then to the store and the game room, and into the public johns.”
When firefighters arrived they stopped the advance of the blaze and contained it, but the buildings were already beyond salvage. But Gillson praised their efforts, noting that the potential for greater catastrophe was imminent.
“The next things would have been the propane tank, the gas tanks, and cabins,” he said. “We evacuated cabins nine and ten during the fire. That’s all up the hill from the game lodge, and it would’ve traveled up the hill if it had kept going.”
Two trucks from the Buyck Fire Department also responded, Gillson said.
“They came down to make sure that the fire had subsided and that we’d gotten it all under control,” he said.
And after the fire was out, the responders couldn’t leave until they had been thanked with Life of Riley’s signature breakfast.
“We turned on the grills and put on the coffee pot at four in the morning, and the fire crew and everybody who was here had a big breakfast in the restaurant,” Gillson said. “And then we turned around at 7 o’clock and opened up to the public for breakfast. We never missed a beat on the restaurant.”
“And all of our guests are still here, nobody left, nobody went home,” he added.
Heartwarming response
The Gillsons and their employees knew that securing and cleaning up the remains of the fire would be the first order of business on Sunday. What they didn’t know was how much help they would have.
“The biggest surprise was that as early as that next morning we had alumni staff coming in from all over everywhere to help,” Gillson said. “That was really very encouraging and heartfelt. They came from International Falls, from Duluth, from the Grand Rapids area, we had them coming out of Virginia. One came in from California. And they’re still here. Some are staying through the week.”
Some of the alumni helped with fire cleanup, while others set about doing the normal duties of cleaning cabins and other resort tasks. Gillson said he’s already gotten word from many with work commitments during the week that they will be coming this weekend to help out. And they’re not the only ones volunteering assistance.
Friends, neighbors and members of the Vermilion Lake Association have turned out to help. “The response of guests and neighbors and past staff has been overwhelming,” said Gillson.
There’s little they can do at the moment to deal with all of the lost inventory in the store, which had souvenirs, apparel, food items, and more, but Gillson said they’ve been able to adapt to keep other services going.
“We’ve already got a temporary gas station on the docks. We’ve got bait and ice and storage for ice. We don’t have minnows because we lost that tank, but it’s hard to keep minnows alive in the summer anyway,” Gillson said.
And of course, there’s breakfast, still being served every day from 7 to 10 a.m. in the restaurant, which was unaffected by the fire.
“Our breakfast crowd has been diminished quite a bit,” Gillson said. “I think people are still confused as to what burned and what didn’t burn. You know, we served breakfast for eight days without electricity in the ’99 windstorm with gas lights and our gas grill. So, we try to keep the services going and we’re going to try to keep them going through this one.”
With adaptations in place, the Life of Riley Resort will continue regular operations through the end of the season, and Gillson said he’s had only a few calls from upcoming guests about the situation. Once the season is over it will be time to think about rebuilding what was lost, but it won’t necessarily be like what was there before.
“We need to slow down and just take a moment to ask, ‘What do we want it to look like in 10 years, in 20 years, how is it going to fit into the resort as we move forward,’” Gillson said. “It’s all about what’s next. We don’t have T-shirts, I can’t even sell you a candy bar right now. It is what it is, and it was horrible. But now we need to clean up and move on. And we will, and without a doubt we’re going to come back. And we’ll bring it back bigger and better than it was.”
Former resort staff member Freesia Alderete has set up a GoFundMe page, “Help Life of Riley Resort rebuild after fire,” to raise funds for fire-related expenses not covered by insurance.
“The resort has been home to many guests and staff members as well as the Gillson family who owns and operates it and needs our help. Any social media shares or monetary donations are appreciated,” Alderete wrote.
To make a donation, go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-life-of-riley-resort-rebuild-after-fire.