Fire Destroys Chair One Lift Shack at Titus Mountain

A fire broke out Thursday night at the top lift shack of Chair One at Titus Mountain Family Ski Center, forcing the temporary closure of one of the ski area's main lifts as officials investigate the cause of the blaze.

The fire was reported around 9:45 p.m., approximately two hours after the ski area had closed for the day, according to Titus Mountain General Manager Mike Pratt. No injuries were reported, as the facility was unoccupied at the time.

In a statement the resort said "as one of our groomer operators was making their way around the mountain, they noticed something out of the ordinary in the direction of the top of Chair 1. Unfortunately, upon their arrival they noticed a structure fire to the Chair 1 lift shack, resulting in a total loss of the lift shack.

"At this moment there is no timetable for Chair 1 to re-open as we navigate through this process of assessing the damage and understanding what will need to be done to make this lift safe and operational again.

"Thank you for understanding, and we look forward to still seeing you all out on the slopes."

Firefighters faced challenging conditions accessing the mountaintop location in sub-freezing temperatures and had to shuttle equipment up the mountain using snowcats.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The ski area is cooperating fully with fire marshals and that preliminary assessments suggest the fire may have originated in the building's electrical system, though no official determination has been made.

Chair One, which services primarily intermediate terrain on the mountain's north side, will remain closed until further notice. The ski area's other three chairlifts and surface lifts continue to operate normally.  This chair is located on a lesser used side of the lower mountain and should not have notable effects on their operations however they have reduced ticket prices for this weekend to weekday prices.

Titus Mountain, located in the northern Adirondacks near the Canadian border, is a family-owned ski area that has operated since 1953. The facility features 1,200 vertical feet of skiing across 50 trails and serves as a popular destination for skiers and snowboarders from northern New York and southern Quebec.

The ski area anticipates Chair One could be back in service within two to three weeks, pending the completion of the investigation and installation of a temporary operator station.

"This is definitely a setback, but we've overcome challenges before," Pratt said. "Our focus right now is on safety and getting Chair One back online as quickly as possible for our guests and season pass holders."

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Franklin County Fire Investigation Unit at (518) 481-1670.