Fire destroys Parr homestead, damages farm equipment

MEEKER I With the current dry conditions, a controlled burn can get out of control quickly, which is what happened Easter afternoon on Little Beaver.
Joe Brown called for help Sunday last when a fire on his property on Rio Blanco County Road 49 got away from him and quickly spread to his neighbor’s ranch. The Meeker Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department responded, along with interagency fire teams, the Juniper Valley Crew and the RBC Sheriff’s Office supported the incident with resources, according to RBC emergency manager John Hutchins.
“Personal property, buildings, farm equipment and fences were burned,” Hutchins said. “The Cottonwood Creek fire was considered controlled at 1700 hours Monday and burned about 80 acres at the end.”
“Some of the damage we don’t know yet,” Rich Parr said. “It could have been a lot worse, we didn’t lose any of our big equipment,” Rich Parr said.
Parr said the fire burned down his grandfather’s homestead, the house his dad grew up in and an old building the homesteaders built.

Parr said the fire could have spread more were it not for fire line built by three dozers, supplied by Shawn Bolton, Darryl Nay and RBC and he was thankful for the firefighters.
“It was a pretty busy place here for a couple of days, they knocked it down the first night,” Parr said. “I’m glad we have the local resources and thanks to everybody who helped. Without them, it would be a different story.”
Hutchins wanted to remind people to call the Sheriff’s Office (878-9600) to check conditions and for red flag warnings before attempting to burn.