ERDA, Utah — An Erda family is left picking up the pieces and counting their blessings after a fast-moving barn fire leveled the structure early Sunday.
It took nearly a year of hard work, mostly on weekends, to build the barn, but in less than two hours it was reduced to rubble, including all the tools and materials inside.
Mauricio Quiza spent the Labor Day holiday sifting through the charred remains of a barn that he just barely finished building.
“It took him a lot of money, a lot of material, a lot of wire, a lot of stuff just to build that shed that got burned down," said Mauricio's wife, Daniela.
The fire started sometime after 10 a.m. Sunday and spread quickly due to high winds in the area. Initially, the family tried to douse the flames with their garden hose, but by the time firefighters arrived, the barn was destroyed.
“We’re actually finishing our basement, and we got about $40,000 worth of material plus tools and everything and the barn, so we’re looking at about $80,000 in losses," Daniella explained.
Despite the loss of the barn and the materials, Quiza feels fortunate they noticed the fire as quickly as they did, thanks to their German Shepherd, who started barking when the fire started.
With their property surrounded by tinder-dry grass, Quiza is relieved the fire stayed confined to the barn.
“...we thank God that nothing got spread to our chicken coops, that took my husband like another two years, that it didn’t spread to the chicken coops," said Daniella. "Or to our house, so we just got really lucky that he was able to catch it on time.”
The family is now left to figure out what insurance will cover and hope to rebuild with the help of family and friends.
