When John Blazzard was a student at Utah State University, he would often skip his Friday classes and drive home to Kamas. He wasn’t necessarily avoiding his academic responsibilities, but there was something else that took priority — the family sawmill.“I’d have to come home and sharpen enough saws to keep them ready for the week,” Blazzard said. “I’d sharpen everything we had. Sometimes it didn’t last them through Friday, so I had to run home and sharpen more saws so that we could keep going.”Although Blazzard Lumber wasn’t established until the 1950s, the Blazzard family has been in the lumber business since the pioneers first arrived in the Kamas Valley. The area has a strong history of lumber, according to the Summit County Historical Society. In fact, Kamas was settled by Thomas Rhodes, a sawmill operator of all things, in 1857.Decades later, during World War II, Blazzard’s grandfather, who owned a plant in the middle of Kamas, manufactured wooden boxes for the military. When Blazzard’s parents got married, his dad became involved with what Blazzard described as “portable mills.”“They’d move them around up in the woods,” he explained. “Then they’d drag the log to the mill on horses, and then when it got too far away, they’d move the mill and do it again, but the Forest Service decided that they didn’t want him up there anymore, so he moved his mill down and built this one.”Last week, the sawmill that has been part of the Kamas community for over 70 years — and where Blazzard has worked since he was 5 years old — was gutted in a late night blaze that destroyed most of the mill’s equipment.A German-made Linck saw stands out from the rubble on Tuesday. John Blazzard described how he would have to stay up until the middle of the night to call over to Germany to order parts for it before the company went out of business. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record“About a quarter after 9, I drove by real slow like I always do because it’s dark down here,” said David Blazzard, John Blazzard’s nephew, who was breaking down and collecting the scorched debris of a former structure while he spoke. “There are no lights. We do that on purpose because fire is a danger, so we look for glows or smoke or anything, and there was nothing. The call went in around 10 o’clock, and it was completely ablaze.”The fire destroyed everything except for one saw, which was protected by a shed at the edge of the mill. A week later, rubble from the collapsed shelters that housed pieces of the sawmill had collected in haphazard corners, covered in ash and snow despite as workers and volunteers cleaned up. The framework of machinery still stood on the property like skeletons, dismantled either by the fire or by crews attempting to evaluate the damage.“We couldn’t even see any of this stuff two days ago,” John Blazzard said, gesturing to the charred remains of his equipment. “The lumber burned underneath and then the tin roof fell down.”John Blazzard said that the family still doesn’t know the full cost of the damage or how feasible it would be to rebuild, and officials with the South Summit Fire District were unable to determine the fire’s cause. However, the Fire District said that it likely started on the southern end of the mill and quickly spread north.“We got a wind out of the south that just blew the fire and it was like a big old tunnel,” David Blazzard said. “Within 30 minutes it was just … well, here we are. We had fire trucks everywhere. It was a hectic thing.”A structure once stood over the exposed machinery, leaving an area that David Blazzard described as well kept now littered in tin paneling and ash. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordJohn Blazzard said that the sawmill was uninsured, which is typical for such a high-risk business.“My dad always said you could burn your sawmill down every seven years and be money ahead after paying fire insurance,” he said. “It was just exorbitantly high.”Replacing equipment is also pricey, however.John Blazzard estimated that three of his saws cost between $3,500 and $4,000 each. One piece of used equipment that he considered as a replacement had a price tag over $200,000. An irreplaceable German saw that is no longer in production was likely worth more than a million dollars. And this is only scratching the surface of what it would take to get the mill up and running again.“There’s a lot here, as you can see,” said David Blazzard. “It takes a lot to keep a sawmill going. A lot, I mean, a lot. It’s hard work, and it’s hard to find people who want to come do it anymore.”Like his uncle, David Blazzard grew up at the sawmill and he said he is beyond thankful to the community members who have shown up to help clean up the rubble or donated to the family’s GoFundMe.Colton Allen and David Blazzard work to remove wire from conduit pipe so it can be scrapped. Allen is a sophomore at South Summit High School and was volunteering at the lumberyard. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record“Last night, the Singles Ward came in the dark and brought big lights and everything,” he said. “I started the loader, and they worked here for two and a half hours. Man, they were a little army, I’ll tell you what, sent by the Lord himself. They were just little machines. They helped us out so much. When the truck got full, they just started dumping it with wheelbarrows right there. They just didn’t stop.”The Blazzards have also received help from local high school students, their former bishop and others in the Kamas community.“People around here have been wonderful,” John Blazzard echoed. “We’ve had people coming in. One guy is 80 years old, He comes in, and he says, ‘I don’t know how to do anything and I’m not a scholar, but I know how to run a scoop shovel.’ He’s been here all week gathering stuff. Everybody’s calling, wondering what they can do to help us.”Black ash falls onto the snow that blanketed part of the burned area. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordAt one time, there were seven sawmills in the Kamas Valley. Now Blazzard Lumber is the only one left, and while the future of the business remains uncertain, David Blazzard said that there’s nothing to do but move forward.“We know how to work hard, and we know how to put it forth, but people want to help, so you have to allow that blessing, to allow for them to help in their way however they can,” he said. “People are good. They’re generous, and we’re thankful for that.”Anyone interested in donating to the GoFundMe can visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-blazzard-family-after-sawmill-fire.David Blazzard throws a chunk of charred wood toward the pile on Tuesday afternoon. Blazzard recounted the night of the fire last Wednesday and the impact it has had on his family, including his children who have followed in the family tradition of working there. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordThe post Blazzard family evaluating damage after devastating mill fire in Kamas appeared first on Park Record.