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Fire crews that battled an early morning cabin fire on Tuesday in Big Cottonwood Canyon, ultimately had let it burn to ground.
Dispatchers received a call at around 4:30 a.m. from a resident who said his neighbor's cabin was on fire, according to Unified Fire Authority spokesman Rob Morley.
When firefighters arrived at the large cabin, located at 11415 S. Pearl Lake Lane, the fire was burning in the attic and a deck area. By 7:30 a.m., flames had engulfed most of the structure.
Morley said crews tried to go into the house, but the fire was too large. By 8 a.m., they were working in a "defensive position," focusing more on monitoring outbuildings and nearby cabins than actively fighting the flames.
Crews were still on scene monitoring the fire at 11 a.m., Morley said. He said it has been "challenging and frustrating" for firefighters, who have had to step back and let the home burn because of various challenges. He said access has been a problem for the firefighters, and by the time they arrived, the home was already "heavily involved" by flames.
And because of its location, crews were only able to bring one firetruck up to the site.
"All of the roads into this area are snow and ice packed," Morley said. "It's very slippery."
Morley said two firefighters received minor injuries from slipping on the ice. No one was in the home when the fire started.
Investigators have estimated that the home sustained $3 million in damages and will be a total loss.