A popular Aspen, Colorado, cabin, known by locals as Grant’s Cabin, burned to the ground on May 30 after catching fire.
The cabin was located on Aspen Mountain’s back side in the Richmond Ridge Area. People at Aspen Mountain’s Sundeck restaurant saw the fire and notified the Aspen Fire Protection District at 10:27 a.m. More than 30 emergency responders across five divisions responded to the scene. Unfortunately, by the time responders arrived, the building was completely ablaze. No injuries were reported.
“Due to the cabin’s remote location, firefighters implemented a coordinated response focused on containing the structure fire and preventing its spread into the surrounding wildland fuels. With increasing afternoon winds, protecting nearby vegetation and mitigating the risk of a wildland fire became the primary operational objective,” Aspen Fire wrote in a Facebook post.
After over two hours of burning, the fire was contained at 12:33 p.m. Crews remained on the scene overnight to monitor conditions and to prevent the flames from reigniting. The department also monitored the scene via its Pano AI wildfire detection camera network, a system of high-definition cameras and artificial intelligence software designed to detect smoke and fire in remote terrain.
Grant’s Cabin was an important piece of the Aspen community. According to Aspen Daily News, Grant’s Cabin was built in 1988 by Grant Timroth, who broke down in tears after hearing the news of his cabin. He received numerous messages and calls from locals who expressed their condolences.
The History of Grant’s Cabin
Timroth built the cabin on a plot of land he bought for $10,000 through a claim from a man named Jim Blanning, an Aspen native. The documents were checked by a family member, who believed they were legal and correct. So Timroth began to construct his cabin.
However, a decade later, Blanning would end up in prison for fraudulent land sales. Pitkin County officials soon came knocking, questioning the legitimacy of Timroth’s deed and his building permit, and for Timroth, the trouble was only just beginning.
After a multi-year legal battle, Timroth lost his case when it reached the Colorado Supreme Court in 2004. He was evicted in 2005, and the county put padlocks on its doors.
While Pitkin County debated the cabin’s use for the next 20 years, nothing was ever decided. Instead, after the padlocks were eventually taken off, the public began to use the cabin again. Some used the cabin to escape the cold during a day of skiing. And some even stayed in the cabin overnight. It was up-kept by one of Timroth’s friends, Jeff Elston.
“It was wonderful how it brought the community together,” Elston told Aspen Daily News.
Fire Under Investigation
The Aspen Fire Protection District is currently investigating the cause of the fire. Investigators are asking anyone with knowledge of activity in the Richmond Ridge area to come forward and contact grantscabin@aspenfire.com.
