STANLEY, Idaho — Snow fell in and around the popular town of Stanley on Thursday, offering a cool relief after a hot summer of devastating wildfires — the Bench Lake Fire and the Wapiti Fire.
"We're all grateful to see snow up on the mountains today, and that should really help with what's left of the [fires], said Austin Clegg, Redfish Lake Lodge operations director.
Clegg said the fires seared their finances more than expected. He originally estimated the lodge would lose about $300,000 after the fires forced them to close during a portion of peak season.
"It was probably more than double that," he said.
Mayor Steve Botti said people did not visit because of dense and unhealthy smoke. Evacuation notices and forest closures did not help matters.
Local option tax revenue shows city businesses lost at least $1.2 million, and that does not include September or what the lodge lost since it is outside city limits.
"June, July and August," Botti said. "That's the economy for the rest of the year. It's fairly quiet here, so the loss of business revenue in the critical summer months is a significant hit."
Botti said it was the worst wildfire season since he moved to the area nearly two decades ago. Much of his job description the last couple of months involved wildfire management.
The city coordinated with state agencies to help businesses, like the lodge, apply for disaster relief loans, he said.
"For a lot of businesses, it's just kind of playing it maybe a little bit smarter with improvements and things that we would have liked to have done that we're going to put on the backburned until you can get in a little more stable position," Clegg said.
Clegg said he is just grateful to have made it through the season.
"Just to be able to go back to open, to finish our season, to keep our staff on, we're very grateful for all those things, and we're just optimistic about the future and moving ahead," he said.
While the lodge is closed until May 21, Clegg said the company's three Stanley hotels and many other businesses are open year-round.
He encourages people to explore the area and come for events. Booking in advance for next summer also helps.
KTVB's 208 Team spent a day in October in Stanley earlier this month talking to business owners about the economic impact of the wildfires.
"I think there was a certain perception, even if it was well meaning, that the town was literally on fire," one business owner said. "That we personally, were on fire, and it became a bit frustrating to battle back against that idea."
You can find the 208's full coverage here.