Owner of Ponderosa Lodge thankful for support

While he and his wife put their “heart and soul” into the Ponderosa Lodge, the historic lodge’s owner said what was most important was nobody was hurt.

Ponderosa Lodge owner Dave Sharp posted his feelings on his Facebook page after the treasured, historic building burned to the ground on Friday as a result of the storm. The Ponderosa Lodge was built in 1960.

“It’s with a heavy heart we announce the lodge is closed indefinitely for all services,” Sharp said. “A fire broke out and we lost the entire lodge.”

Sharp, along with his wife Jennifer Engquist, operated the lodge. “We are devastated and heartbroken to say the least.

“Heart and soul was put into the lodge by many. Jen with her creativeness and design, myself with structural preservation and construction aspect. The lodge has witnessed decades of joy camaraderie, community laughter and satisfied a million hungry tummies.

“All gone in matter of minutes.”

Sharp also addressed a blown propane tank was reportedly the cause of the fire. “Not sure what happened but it sounds like maybe the crazy rain melted a large chunk of ice off the roof and into a propane line,” Sharp said.

Sharp said he didn’t know about the future and added they suffered a direct loss because they didn’t have property insurance.

“Our carrier canceled on us during the coastal fires and we were unable to get a new policy,” Sharp said. “Heart, soul and everything we had was in that place.”

But Sharp said what’s most important, “Everyone is safe and in the end that’s what matters. Thank you for all the messages we truly appreciate it.”

A Gofundme page has been set up for the Ponderosa Lodge. The page can be found at gofundme.com by doing a search for Ponderosa Lodge. A goal of $500,000 has been set and as of Monday afternoon, $44,935 was raised.