Lutsen’s Papa Charlie’s Ruled A Total Loss After Fire

LUTSEN, Minn. – Papa Charlie’s at Lutsen Mountains is considered a total loss after fire ripped through the beloved restaurant and bar over the weekend.

The call for help came in around 6 a.m. Saturday.

The Lutsen Fire Department and mutual aid from departments in Cook County responded.

Fire officials said suppression efforts were at a high level but the flames were too intense to get control before the building was destroyed.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this tragic loss. Papa Charlie’s holds a special place in everyone’s heart and mind. We are fortunate that we have such a wonderful volunteer public safety response in Cook County to prevent further loss,” said Sheriff Pat Eliasen in a statement Sunday.

Nobody was injured. The Minnesota State Fire Marshall is leading the investigation into a cause of the fire.

Meanwhile, Lutsen Mountains made a post on social media Sunday applauding the volunteer fire departments that responded.

The post went on to say the nearby gondola was not damaged, but servers were housed in the building where the fire happened.

The statement reads, “Please bear with us while we work to put back some of our technological infrastructure.  We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of support and we can’t say thank you to all those who came to help.  It could have been much worse.”