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Iconic Warm Springs Lodge re-opening Saturday, after a severe fire damaged it in April

Sun Valley Resort's Warm Springs Day Lodge will re-open on Saturday, Dec. 15. The nearly 30-year old building was badly damaged by flames in April.

It was a devastating sight as the iconic Warm Springs Day Lodge was gutted by fire in April earlier this year. But now it's rising from the ashes, opening back up Saturday morning.

Built in the early 90's, it's the oldest ski lodge of its kind in the country. Over the last few months since the fire, it was recently renovated to become state of the art.

It was all hands on deck getting one of the country's most iconic and beloved ski lodges back open and running. KTVB got a sneak peak inside Friday night as crews were crunching to put the final pieces together.

MORE: '30-foot flames above the building:' Fire guts Warm Springs Lodge in Ketchum

“We are ready for tomorrow! We are ready! Let's go, let's go have a beer. We need one right now, it's been a long day, long night!” Jim Snyder, director of food and beverage director at Sun Valley Resort said. “[Today] will end up being about 15 hours probably. But we have an army working on this.”

Officials say the April 18 fire broke out after four plastic garbage cans were placed against a log wall. Flames destroyed the back of the building. The roof of the day lodge was a total loss.

“Burned up the side and it got into the cold space of the ceiling and along the roof line. It was very hard to get out but the fire departments did a great job saving the building," Synder said. "All the superstructure remains which was the key component to allowing us to open tomorrow on time for the ski season."

Smoke and water damaged the inside, leading them to replace the whole floor.

“The old growth timber - that didn't go and that is the thing that holds everything up,” Snyder said while showing KTVB the wood skeleton of the building.

Sun Valley Resort took the loss and turned it into an opportunity for a new beginning: they put in a new ski rental space in the section of the building that was once predominantly retail, they build a large new bar facing the final run and expanded and upgraded the food court where every piece of equipment is new.

"It is just going to make things faster for the guests. It gives us more options to serve with," Snyder said. "We are going to have 100 more seats in this restaurant. And in the past the restaurant was so busy it was hard to find a place to sit down."

For eight months from when the fire broke out, contractors, managers, and Sun Valley staff with positions across the board have worked day in and day out. Warm Springs Day Lodge has risen from the ashes in time for the season - hitting the goal they set a couple months back.

“It was devastating to lose the old building but now to be able to come back with a much better space that guests are going to love, we are excited to go to battle tomorrow morning. We think we will be very busy,” Snyder told KTVB.

The official grand re-opening celebration is Saturday, Dec. 22 at 11 a.m.

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