Fifty-seven fire departments helped put out a blaze that destroyed seven cabins at Grand Bear Resort last night. Some of the homes had full time residents. Many had guests who just left as a holiday weekend came to an end.
A woman who works for one of the owners says they were all wooden buildings with wooden furnishings with four living units to each cabin. She was there to start a cleaning job when she saw smoke, heard people yelling, and then saw a quickly spreading fire.
There are no fire hydrants in the area that burned. Tanker after tanker hauled water from somewhere else to the fire scene. Utica Assistant Fire Chief Drew Partain says no one was hurt. Partain says the fire call came in as a fully involved porch fire. When fire fighters arrived, two cabins were fully involved. And the fire spread.
Partain said late last night, the fire scene went into overhaul mode. Fire crews would stay to put out hot spots that flare up. And an investigation would begin into the cause.
A passerby caught this early view of the fire as it spread from one cabin to others at Grand Bear Resort.
A view of the fire at Grand Bear Resort on May 30, 2022. Photo from Nikki Ellerbrock
A wider view of the Grand Bear Resort fire
A column of fire department tanker trucks hauls water to Grand Bear Resort during the May 30, 2022 fire.