Cutty’s Resort survives Hayden Pass fire, owners credit firefighters’ efforts

The owners of Cutty’s Hayden Creek returned to the property Thursday after spending twelve days under evacuation because of the Hayden Pass fire.

Owners Rick Stauter and Joe Gill surveyed their property and the work firefighters did during the course of the fire.

“Those firefighters and those crews did an outstanding job keeping it at bay. Mother Nature, too,” said Gill.

“You walk in here, and I am amazed the work they did, and they still have a lot of work up top,” said Stauter. “But if you drive through this campground right now, you don’t see any substantial difference.”

Firefighters set up an intricate sprinkler system to cover every building on the resort. The sprinklers were a last line of defense if the fire got too close. Firefighters also cut down brush and helped eliminate potential fire hazards on the property.

The firefighters continued to work on the resort on Thursday, and the sprinkler system will stay up until the threat of the fire is completely eliminated.

“I am amazed, and as you can see, they are still here,” said Stauter.

When the Hayden Pass fire exploded on Sunday, July 10, Cutty’s Resort was among the first to evacuate. There were about 450 people staying at the resort that weekend. The owners had an evacuation plan but said it was still “mild panic.”

“It’s surreal, you know. Don’t really plan for that. You think about it, but when it actually hits, you just go into this mode, and you don’t really know. You have a certain pattern, and you get things that you need, and you hightail it,” said Gill.

Stauter and Gill said the past 12 days have been difficult and full of uncertainty.

“We could see it from Salida, and that Monday and Tuesday, we thought it was going up in flames, and as it turns out, that was a quarter mile away that was sending those plumes in the sky,” said Gill.

The fire has burned a hole in their bottom line.

“Substantial. July is the busiest month of the year, and the last two weeks have been brutal, but we have insurance so we will find out,” said Stauter.

The owners could get into the property on Thursday, and the road reopens to the public on Friday. However, with sprinklers stationed all over the property, Stauter and Gill worry about the impact guests may have on the firefighters work. They are not sure when they’ll be able to fully open the resort but hope it happens soon.