'It's devastating': Cabin owner describes losses caused by Cottonwood Fire

BEAVER — Steve Mayer, his family and two other families had spent the past six years building their dream vacation cabin in the scenic Tushar Mountains.

He traveled there this past weekend to help finish painting the drywall while constructing a small fire pit. Mayer, who primarily lives in Cottonwood Heights, remembers sitting back and thinking they had "finally finished this beast."

Now, days later, he's not entirely sure it's there anymore.

The fast-spreading Cottonwood Fire consumed the region after starting on Monday, burning close to 60,000 acres in two days. A neighbor told him Wednesday morning that everything on the mountain the cabin stood on is now gone, a day after firefighters told him it was still standing.

Either way, Mayer knows the area that he cherishes so much has been significantly impacted.

"In one day, it's just up in smoke. ... It's devastating," he told KSL. "Everyone's just kind of in a state of shock, trying to support each other, and offer our places to those who live there. It just feels unreal right now."

U.S. Forest Service officials have yet to release any details about structure damage caused by the fire, but several people have sent videos to KSL showing multiple buildings either destroyed or on fire.

These include Eagle Point Resort, which confirmed on Wednesday that it and the surrounding area suffered "significant property loss." Hundreds of properties were also threatened by the blaze, per federal agencies.

Gov. Spencer Cox said Wednesday that the fire has moved too quickly and intensely to properly assess the damage, but he anticipates that it will be very costly.

"There's a very good chance this is already the most destructive fire in the state's history," he said.

Beaver city leaders met on Wednesday to declare an emergency related to the fire. Beaver County Commissioner Tammy Pearson, who has friends who lost a cabin, said the area will never be the same in her lifetime.

Mayer feels the same way. The past few days, he said, have been a whirlwind, with everyone trying to figure out what's still standing. Firefighters informed Mayer that property owners likely won't be let back into their neighborhood until another week, depending on how the fire moves.

"You know, you hear about it, you read about it. You hear the fires in California where people lost everything," he said. "The only bright point so far is there's no injuries reported. Everyone was evacuated safely."

He'd like to rebuild, but how much is covered by insurance, and what his neighbors do, will likely influence that decision because he says it's a "really special place."

While it will likely take years for the region to recover, Pearson is hopeful for the area's future.

"It'll green up, we're going to be the phoenix rising from the ashes, right? Eventually," she said. "But we're going to be starting from ground zero."

Contributing: Cameron Elliott

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