Wolf Lodge Steakhouse on I90 Burns Down

My husband was driving home from Seattle last night and I got this text: Possible the Wolf Lodge burned down.

We said we needed to plan another trip to the Wolf Lodge Inn only a few weeks earlier. The restaurant has been a feature in my family for years.

We would travel from Missoula to the cabin-like restaurant for birthdays and anniversaries. We'd find a way to stop there on the way home from Spokane or other West Coast trips. When we were kids, we squealed while looking out the car window every time we passed by, "It's the Wolf Lodge! When can we go again?"

The last time I visited it had been over twenty years since the previous visit and I was bowled over by the nostalgia I felt returning. The ambiance was the same--conservative lighting and tables laid out to create a small amount of privacy. The food was the same too, from the ranch dressing to the seasoning on the steaks. The Wolf Lodge Inn was like a friend I hadn't seen in years.

Sadly, after my husband texted saying he saw a fire I consulted news stations in Coeur d'Alene and Spokane and confirmed that yes, the Wolf Lodge Inn burned down last night, September 2, 2024.

KREM 2 News reports the restaurant suffered a large fire, citing the Couer d'Alene Press's reporting that "the fire started in an exhaust hood in the kitchen." They report that "...an assistant restaurant manager reportedly suffered second-degree burns and was hospitalized for his injuries. Fire officials said three firefighters were also treated on the scene."

In a post on Facebook from the Kootenai County Fire & Rescue, they say they were notified of the fire just after noon on Monday and that "embers from the fire ignited a nearby wildland fire." Their full description of the event is included in the post below.

Thank you to all who helped extinguish the fire.