ALLENSPARK, Colo. --
Firefighters contained a blaze that engulfed the lodge at St. Malo, a historic Catholic retreat center just outside Rocky Mountain National Park, south of Estes Park.
Staff and residences were evacuated and there were no injuries, spokeswoman Jeanette De Melo said.
The fire burned in the three-story, 49-room lodge and conference center but did not damage the iconic stone chapel that sits about 100 yards in front of the building, next to Highway 7.
The first 911 call came in at 7:48 a.m.
"There's flames shooting everywhere. It looks like it's engulfed," said Kim Coffey, an Estes Park resident, during the height of the fire.
Coffey said it snowed this past weekend and there's a little bit of snow on the ground, but the area still remains dry and the winds are howling.
Snow began picking up as the fire burned, with some flames and smoke still visible at 3 p.m.
"They are fighting it against the elements, with the wind up there right now," Coffey said. "It's windy in town today but it's much windier up there, it's blowing quite a bit up there."
Firefighters did not have enough water at one point so they broke through the ice on the lake to pump water to firefighters. The water had to be transported in a convoy of tanker trucks from the lake, five miles away.
Cmdr. Rick Brough of the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said 50 firefighters from 11 fire protection districts fought the fire. He said four more were coming in.
A 7NEWS photographer said it appeared as if an entire wing of the building was destroyed but he was unsure about the extent of the damage to the other side of building.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was sending investigators. Sheriff's Sgt. Mike Dimond said the ATF typically responds to fires involving religious institutions as a matter of policy.
The investigators won't be able to begin their investigation until Tuesday, after the fire is out and the structure has cooled.
Firefighters will remain on the scene overnight, in case the fire rekindles.
A woman who works at St. Malo said the electricity has been out for a few days so staff members have been making fires in the large fireplace on the second floor.
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office said the initial report was that the first flames came from the second floor of the building.
Boulder Daily Camera said firefighters had requested air support because they only have a few ladder trucks. Additional fire departments responded with additional equipment.
The St. Malo Retreat Center is 3 miles north of Allenspark on Highway 7 between Lyons and Estes Park. It has lodging and conference space.
Pope John Paul II visited St. Malo during his 1993 trip to Denver.
Because the retreat is in a remote location and cellphone service is spotty, not very much information has been released.
The Red Cross set up a mobile feeding center for the firefighters, who have come from Boulder, Longmont and Estes Park and eight other district.
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