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DEWEYVILLE, Box Elder County — Family members were figuring out their next steps this week following a devastating house fire that burned a century-old structure to the ground.
LaMar Cutler had lived in the home off of state Route 38 since 2016.
"It was cool," he reflected Thursday as he sat on what used to be the back steps. "Lots of memories."
Behind him was an open pit of pure destruction. What was the basement is now filled with charred debris and barely recognizable belongings.
"There's not much left," Cutler shrugged. "All my guitars — I think I can count them — 15 of them gone."
On Tuesday night, Cutler and his two teenage sons, Zach and Kyden, had gone to sleep at about 9 p.m.
"We were all just in the front room, had a fireplace going and a space heater," the father recalled in an interview with KSL 5. "I woke up around midnight and the fire was out. I threw my blanket on my kid and went to the bedroom. About an hour later, I was getting woken up. There was smoke everywhere."
Kyden Cutler said he saw flames and started screaming, waking up his dad and brother.
The family scrambled to grab whatever they could that was in sight and rushed outside.
"(We) got the dog out, but the dog got back in," LaMar Cutler said. "We were pretty much on our bellies then, grabbing for her."
The fire spread quickly.
"Just in those 10, 15 minutes, it grew like crazy," Zach Cutler said. "I think my brother grabbed my wallet and that was pretty much it."
The flames took everything over the next several hours.
"I just remember breaking down in the car, it was like, 'Everything's gone,'" the teen said.
The cause of the fire remained undetermined as of Friday, according to the family.
In the hours and days since the fire, friends, neighbors and strangers have come forward to show their support.
"We've all been in awe of how many people have reached out, what they've done," said Nic Cutler, LaMar's brother. "People we had no idea even knew us or knew of us were just reaching out, offering up anonymously. All the firefighters that were here that night — there had to have been 10 to 15 firetrucks coming up this single lane, all trying to get up here with water. Everybody was freezing. It was so cold that night, and everyone was here to the very end just making sure LaMar was being taken care of, his boys were taken care of, the fire was put out — just an amazing community of people helping."
It was so cold that night, and everyone was here to the very end just making sure LaMar was being taken care of, his boys were taken care of, the fire was put out — just an amazing community of people helping.
–Nic Cutler, LaMar Cutler's brother
Nic Cutler said his brother was grateful everyone made it out safely.
"It definitely could have gone a completely different way," Nic Cutler said. "Absolutely, it could have been a lot worse."
LaMar Cutler said he was just trying to find his way moving forward after the devastating blaze.
"When you go through it yourself, it's like a nightmare," Cutler said. "(I'm) just trying to stay positive — fresh start."
Family members set up a GoFundMe* account.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
