The Beaver County Sheriff’s Office has implemented a new process for property owners to report potential losses related to the Cottonwood Fire. Because it is not yet safe for deputies to enter the canyon for structural assessments, officials are asking residents to submit information via the online Witness Statement portal to build an official damage assessment database.
Current status of property assessments
The Sheriff's Office stated that they currently have no information regarding the condition of properties in the path of the fire and are not accepting general property checks. The agency noted that a high volume of inquiries is slowing down administrative processes and emergency operations, as field personnel remain dedicated to active evacuations and supporting wildland fire crews.
Instructions for submitting loss information
To use the standard Witness Statement form as a temporary tracking system, owners should type COTTONWOOD FIRE PROPERTY LOSS in all caps at the top of the incident description box. Submissions should include exact physical addresses, parcel numbers, or GPS coordinates, along with brief driving directions if the property is on private forest roads.
Providing building descriptions for crews
Property owners are also encouraged to provide a one-sentence visual description of primary buildings, such as color and roof material, to assist ground crews during assessments in heavy smoke.
Next steps for property owners
Once forms are submitted, properties will be added to an Incident Command map. The Incident Management Team will contact owners directly via the provided phone number or email once specific sectors are declared safe for law enforcement entry.
Guidelines for communication and updates
Officials requested that residents do not submit multiple forms for the same parcel and asked that phone lines to the Sheriff's Office remain clear for emergency dispatches. For updates on fire acreage and containment, the public is advised to monitor Fishlake National Forest official feeds or the Watch Duty tracking app.
