Cody couple reconstructs after fire destroyed their home last summer

Where the land was once scorched, green grass is growing. Where blackened logs once smoldered, a new home is taking shape. Where their lives were changed in an instant, Andy DiPiazza and Michelle McArthur are starting over.

“It’s been a journey,” McArthur said.

Last June, a fire destroyed the couple’s home on Quarter Horse Lane, outside of Cody.

The grass fire started near a neighbor’s home. Fire crews worked to save homes in the fire’s path, and initially, it looked like DiPiazza and McArthur’s home was safe.

Then came the wind, blowing fiercely.

The fire spread to a deep ravine near their house.

“It’s really steep right there, so you couldn’t tell the flames were licking up that,” McArthur said.

At the time, McArthur was upstairs taking photos; DiPiazza had been hosing down the area around their home, and then went into the basement.

“When that wind changed, it came out of that gully so fast,” DiPiazza said. “I couldn’t believe it.”

He watched the flames engulf his horse trailer, parked just below the house.

“That trailer exploded,” he said. “I mean, it was just, boom!”

He hollered for McArthur to get out of the house.

“All of a sudden, I just heard him yell, ‘Run!’” she recalled.

She didn’t have time to grab belongings.

“I came out the front door and ran through black smoke,” McArthur said. “I heard the door just suck shut behind me.”

Thankfully, they both escaped the fire, along with their two dogs.

McArthur and DiPiazza then stood on the road, watching their home burn in thick, black billows of smoke.

“They lost everything,” said Jacque Sims, a friend and neighbor. “Absolutely everything.”

Irreplaceable heirlooms and photographs from both of their families were destroyed. McArthur, an artist, lost all of her paintings and art supplies. DiPiazza, a leatherworker, had sewing machines, saddles and other equipment go up in flames.

Rather than dwelling on what was lost, “you just have to think you’re lucky you got to enjoy them while you did,” McArthur said.

DiPiazza plays Wyatt Earp in the Cody Gunfighters show, and lost about 50 firearms in the blaze.

“Miraculously, his Wyatt Earp ones [guns] were in the trunk of the car,” McArthur said.

In another miracle, DiPiazza found the American flag from his father’s funeral among the ashes.

“It’s singed, but still folded,” he said.

Rebuilding after the blaze

Cleanup of the site started soon after the fire.

None of the structure could be salvaged, and crews tore down what was left.

“Our chimney was too destroyed to save,” McArthur said. “The rocks were falling.”

The fire ruined the basement and foundation.

“When it burned out the actual slab it was on, it kind of ruined the concrete there, but went down into the pilings and stuff — they had to dig all of that out,” DiPiazza said.

Some people tried to talk them into building elsewhere, but the couple wanted to rebuild their log home on the same land.

“I couldn’t give up this view,” DiPiazza said, looking out over the mountains. “We have such good views everywhere you look.”

Their neighbors, Dale and Jacque Sims, had started a log-house business called The Log Guys and talked with DiPiazza and McArthur about helping with the rebuild.

“We’re so glad we went this way,” McArthur said. “The Log Guys have been wonderful.”

It’s neighbors helping neighbors.

“That’s what it’s all about,” Dale Sims said.

Over the winter, the new log home began to take shape. DiPiazza and McArthur had a lot of say in the design.

“We didn’t pick it out of a cookie cutter,” Michelle said. “We decided this layout on our own.”

The home features a great room with large windows showcasing the mountain views. Guest rooms are on one side, and the master bedroom is on the other. French doors will open to a deck that spans across the main level.

The couple had talked about renovating their old house, which was built in 1981. They’re incorporating some of the things they wanted — such as a more open kitchen — in this new design.

As the home was being built during the winter months, McArthur stayed with family in Idaho; DiPiazza stayed with Sunny and Mike Burns, who own Cody Wyoming Adventures, where he works.

McArthur returned to Wyoming earlier this month, and the finishing touches are being completed on the home.

After living out of suitcases for nearly a year, the couple is looking forward to moving into the new house soon. They hope to host an open house with The Log Guys in May.

Read your insurance policy

The June fire started after a neighbor had burned files outside his home the previous day.

“It wasn’t even our fault,” McArthur said. “We were just struck out of the blue.”

After going through the fire, the couple encourages homeowners to carefully review their insurance policies.

Unfortunately, the insurance company refused to cover McArthur’s belongings, because she isn’t married to DiPiazza.

The couple has been together for years, but the company said McArthur needed renter’s insurance, even though she didn’t rent.

“She lost just about everything without any efforts from an insurance company, because of that,” Jacque Sims said.

On top of that, the company has required the couple to pay the costs of rebuilding the home up front, and won’t reimburse them until later.

In the meantime, they still have to keep up with other day-to-day costs.

DiPiazza encouraged people to meet with their insurance agents and check their policies, to make sure everything is up-to-date.

“Read your policy really closely,” he said.

It’s also important to take photos of belongings to document what’s in your home.

“This is not the time to delay,” Jacque Sims said. “Put them on a jump drive and give the jump drive to a friend or family member.”

Several years ago, McArthur put family VHS tapes on DVDs and gave multiple copies to family members.

“I didn’t know my copy would be the one that was lost,” she said.

The couple never imagined they would be dealing with the aftermath of a house fire.

“I never thought about it,” DiPiazza said. “We live out here in the desert; I never thought we’d have a fire.”

Green grass now covers the land that was scorched last summer. As the couple walked toward their new home on a lovely spring day, McArthur kept an eye out for arrowheads. In the fire, they lost dozens of arrowheads that her parents had found in the Meeteetse area.

“So, I’m always looking for arrowheads,” she said. “One might turn up.”