MCCAMMON — One of the most popular ranches in East Idaho is continuing to operate following a destructive weekend fire.

The blaze destroyed the home of Rob and Jenny Perkins, the owners of Diamond P GrassRoots Bison ranch. Both the couple’s home and ranch are on Old Highway 91 north of McCammon.

Despite the complete destruction of the Perkins’ $700,000 home, the couple is grateful for the fact no one was injured in the blaze and for the outpouring of community support for them in the aftermath of the fire.

The Perkins were not at home at the time of the fire but their in-laws were present and reported the blaze around 5:50 p.m. Saturday.

The Perkins are also thankful that they have insurance to help cover their losses. The ranch itself was fortunately not damaged by the fire and all 55 of the couple’s bison are safe and unharmed.

The Perkins are currently staying in a nearby Airbnb provided by a neighbor but will soon be moving into a second smaller house at their ranch that was not damaged during the fire. This second residence on the ranch property is a place for their ranch hands to stay but it is currently unoccupied.

Although the couple lost their home, pickup truck and the vast majority of their belongings in the fire, they expressed gratitude in a Facebook post following the blaze.

“We want to take a moment to express our deepest thanks to our incredible community for the overwhelming love and support we’ve received so far,” the couple stated. “Your kindness, generosity, and support have given us strength during this challenging time.”

The Perkins’ adult children have also started a GoFundMe online fundraiser to help their parents. To donate visit https://gofund.me/d1ef7c23.

The Perkins’ children stated on GoFundMe, “Our parents are now facing the unimaginable loss of everything from their shoes and clothes to their scrapbooks and memories. The fire left behind nothing but ashes and rubble, and they are left with the clothes on their back. Any contribution, no matter how small, will go directly toward helping our parents secure a new home, replace essential belongings, and start to rebuild their lives from the ground up.”

The fire happened right before the start of bison calving season, but the Perkins are confident their ranch will continue without missing a beat. Diamond P GrassRoots is known locally and nationally and is famous for supplying the bison used in the TV series “Yellowstone.”

Authorities said they think the fire was likely caused by a barbecue grill. The blaze isn’t considered to be suspicious but remains under investigation by the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office.

The McCammon Fire Department issued the following news release about the incident: “The fire reportedly started on the back porch and a barbecue grill was suspected to be the cause. Residents called 911 and attempted to put water on the fire. The porch was on the west side of the house and winds from the northwest at 10 to 18 miles per hour caused the fire to quickly spread to the residence by about 6 p.m. When the first fire crews arrived, the fire had spread to the house and winds from the northwest continued to challenge firefighters’ efforts to contain the blaze.”

The blaze gutted the Perkins’ multi-level home, caused its roof to collapse and literally burned the entire structure to the ground. The couple’s pickup truck parked in their home’s attached garage was destroyed by the flames but the blaze did not spread to any other nearby structures at the ranch.

Firefighters from several local departments were able to get the upper hand on the fire by around 8:15 p.m. Saturday and stayed on the scene until early Sunday morning to make sure the blaze was out.

Old Highway 91 was temporarily shut down because of the fire.

The McCammon, Arimo, Downey, Lava Hot Springs and Inkom fire departments responded to the blaze, along with Bannock County sheriff’s deputies.

The Perkins stated on Facebook: “A special thank you to the brave firefighters who risked their lives to protect us and contain the fire. Because of their courage and dedication, we were able to save a large portion of our bison meat that was packaged and frozen. We are forever grateful for your selflessness. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.”