Following the devastating Western Pines Fire in July 2025, which burned over 5,700 acres, cleanup and rebuilding efforts have been underway for impacted homeowners, landowners, and businesses. Arrowhead Bay and Moccasin Bay were the most highly affected areas, where homeowners now face a variety of challenges before they can receive permits to rebuild their homes.
“Both sides of the bay lost around 12 cabins and homes,” said Lincoln County Commissioner Scott Hutsell. “A lot of cleanup has happened on both sides. Dozens of truckloads of metal and concrete have been hauled out.”
Before homes can be rebuilt, property lines need to be re-surveyed, electrical connections restored, burned trees and other debris cleared away, and water and septic systems repaired.
Many homeowners have had their properties surveyed along with the National Park Service (NPS) relining the boundaries on the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. Inland Power and Light have removed burned out poles and replaced many of them to reestablish electrical connection to properties.
A lot of work has been done by property owners and the Lincoln County Health Department to rebuild the water systems and each septic system that was destroyed by the fire,” said Hutsell, adding that, “there is still a lot of work to do on that front before building permits can be issued.”
The Moccasin Bay side is a little further ahead of Arrowhead Bay, but each parcel has its own unique challenges. Many owners have said they are going to rebuild even though they do not know exactly how to proceed. In many cases, the lot sizes that properties were built on more than 60 years ago now fall under new codes. There has been much effort between the County and homeowners to work through the numerous issues that come up after such a devastating loss. The community has a long way to go, but they have made great progress in their work together so far.
