'A total loss': Fire destroys Francis family-owned woodworking business

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

A fire destroyed Frontier Woodworks, a family-owned business in Summit County, Thursday morning.
The owners of Frontier Woodworks are still vacationing in Idaho with no knowledge of the fire.
No injuries occurred, but the loss is already felt throughout the community.

FRANCIS, Summit County —A fire burned through a well-known woodworking shop in Summit County on Thursday morning.

Flames tore through Frontier Woodworks, a custom millwork and door business that's been part of the Francis community for decades.

According to fire officials, the call came in just after 9:30 a.m. when smoke from the fire at 2284 S. Spring Hollow Road was visible across the Kamas Valley.

"Unfortunately, it looks like it's still standing, but the damage is probably a total loss," said Chief Scott Thorell of the South Summit Fire Protection District.

No one was inside at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported. But for the families who run the business, the loss goes far beyond the building.

Sydney Thompson, whose family owns the shop, said her parents were on vacation in Idaho, along the Snake River, and are currently out of cell range.

"They don't even know," Thompson said Thursday morning. "At least my dad doesn't, which is the worst part of it."

Thompson also ran a flower shop out of the same building.

"For myself, I feel like I can be OK. I can do flowers from anywhere, (maybe) my home," she said. "I've had family reach out, already telling me I can do it from their homes or barns or basements, you know?

"But my family, the woodshop, they can't just go anywhere and do their business. They've got machines and equipment and wood and all that stuff. So, that's the most devastating part."

The remains of Frontier Woodworks in Francis, on Thursday. Sydney Thompson, whose family owns the business, said her parents don't even know about the fire since they're on vacation in Idaho. (Photo: Istvan Bartos, KSL-TV)

As firefighters worked to knock down the flames, Thompson says she felt helpless watching everything go up in smoke.

But then, Thorell approached her carrying a bundle of cash, some of it burned, from her cash register.

"They grabbed some flowers out, but I don't think they're salvageable," she said. "But they also were grabbing anything else they saw in there, and they found this in my cash register."

"For us, it's about more than putting out the fire," Thorell said. "We serve our community. This is a terrible loss for them. We feel it as well."

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

A friend of the family has launched a GoFundMe* campaign to help the family.

"They're going to need major help," said Thompson.

*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 advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Alex Cabrero

Alex Cabrero has been reporting for KSL since 2004. During his time in Salt Lake City, he has covered several high-profile Utah stories, including the Crandall Canyon mine collapse, the Trolley Square shootings, and the Susan Powell missing person case. He has also covered national and international stories for KSL with Utah connections, such as Hurricane Katrina from the Gulf Coast, the devastating California wildfires, and the earthquake disasters in both Haiti and Nepal. Alex has covered seven Olympics for KSL; 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2014 Sochi, 2016 Rio de Janeiro, 2018 PyeongChang, 2020 Tokyo, and 2022 Beijing. Alex is a 12-time Emmy Award winner, including a National Emmy for his reporting during a standoff in Tennessee. He also won an Emmy in 2016 for the best local TV news reporter in the Rocky Mountain Region. In all, Alex has won more than 50 awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Utah Broadcasters Association. Before coming to Utah, Alex covered the September 11th terrorist attacks, training for the first wave of soldiers from the 101st Airborne who would be sent to Afghanistan, and Country Music star Johnny Cash’s funeral. Prior to KSL, Alex reported for WTVF in Nashville, TN; WRCB in Chattanooga, TN; KPVI in Pocatello/Idaho Falls, Idaho; News 55 in Twin Falls, Idaho; and Cable 6 TV in Middletown, New York. Alex is from Rock Hill, New York. He graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Communications from Orange County (NY) Community College and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Production from the State University of New York at New Paltz. Alex is an Eagle Scout, played college baseball, and was a volunteer firefighter/rescue SCUBA diver for the Rock Hill Fire Department He enjoys visiting National and State Parks, exploring the remote areas of Utah, and playing baseball for the Utah Rockies in the Utah Mens Adult Baseball League.