HENEFER, Utah — Near East Canyon Reservoir, where the Rocky Canyon Fire burns dangerously close, Karen and Jesse Rodenbough, along with a few of their friends, are keeping a nervous eye on a herd of horses grazing in the area.
They haven’t had a lot of sleep since the wildfire started growing over the weekend, and it has already grown to over 13,000 acres, forcing evacuations for the entire town of Henefer.
The Rodenboughs are managers for the Bar Milton Ranch, watching over about 80 horses.
On Monday, as FOX 13 News attempted to visit the couple for an interview, the winds picked up, and the fire grew in size. Since there was no way the Rodenboughs were leaving their horses, they joined us remotely, sharing how conditions have been touch-and-go since Saturday.
“We want to be here, living with the horses if we’ve got to get them out of here," said Jesse. "So we’ve got them pushed down into probably a 200-acre pasture, so they’re easy to put together.
"And probably, with as many as there is, we’d probably drive them off and around the reservoir where we can get them to a safer spot where the fire can’t get to it.”
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For a while, firefighting helicopters used a pond on their property to shuttle water buckets over to the fire. For now, the horse herd is good.
“We’ve dealt with fires but maybe not to this size or this close to home," Jesse said. “There’s a certain adrenaline rush to it because the pressure is on, you know? It’s kind of fun but then again on the same note, it is threatening.”
Multiple friends have reached out to help the Rodenboughs, sharing how they're at the ready with trucks and trailers in the event that the fire shifts again and they need help transporting the horses. They even got a call from a friend in Iowa who asked what he could do to lend a hand.
Jesse said thanks, but "I don’t think you could be here in time, but appreciate the offer."
