At 1:42 a.m. on March 14, a fire broke out at the Salish Lodge and Spa in Snoqualmie in the attic space above its Attic Bistro restaurant.

About 75 guests were evacuated from the 6501 Railroad Ave. S.E. location for about two hours while fire and emergency crews tended the fire.

There were no injuries reported.

The King County Fire Marshall determined that the cause of fire was accidental due to an electrical malfunction.

About 80 to 100 square feet of roof space of the 6,000-square-foot roof was damaged, said Sam Johnson, general manager for the Salish.

“All we know is that there was a break in the conduit that caused an electrical malfunction,” said Snoqualmie Fire Chief Bob Rowe. “The staff should be commended for an outstanding job of ensuring the safety of their guests. I couldn’t have asked for anything more to mitigate this type of problem.”

The damage has been classified as major, said Snoqualmie City Clerk Jodi Warren.

The cost of repair is estimated to be about $500,000; $350,000 in structural damage and $150,000 in content damage, Johnson said.

Five engines, one ladder truck, two air cars and an air units were employed by Snoqualmie, Fall City and Eastside Fire and Rescue crews to manage the blaze.

“Any time that there is significant structure damage, that is typically when neighboring jurisdictions are called,” Warren said, noting that having neighboring participation is a preventative measure in case the fire spreads.

Warren said that at first the fire was thought to be a chimney fire.

Rowe said that the fire took about 35-40 minutes to put out.

The Salish’s automatic fire alarm alerted firefighters of the problem. They arrived within minutes, Johnson noted.

The Salish was up to code with its fire regulations, Rowe said.

A fire of this degree has never before happened at the Salish.

“All the safeguards were in place,” Rowe said. “These are just accidents that happen.”

Rowe said that the next step is to salvage anything not damaged by the fire and to clean up and repair the area.

Johnson said that the lodge’s insurance company is currently looking into exactly why the fire started, though at this time he could only confirm that it was accidental and that the exact origin was still undetermined.

Firefighters had to break through sheet rock and the ceiling to get to the attic space, as well as break nearby windows to increase ventilation, which reduces heat and increases visability, Rowe said.

The Salish re-opened the Attic Bistro last Wednesday evening. The Dining Room will be open on the weekends and closed during the week for an undetermined amount of time as to accommodate cleaning and repair needs.

“It’s a big deal, but I’m just glad nobody got hurt,” Johnson said. “We’re still open and ready to serve.”