BURRVILLE, Utah — With the Monroe Canyon Fire only growing and an evacuation order issued, part-time Burrville resident Ron Jorgensen Is hopeful his historic home remains untouched by the fire.
“House was built in the 1890’s, near as I can tell 1893, so I’ve done some research on it,” said Jorgensen.
Jorgensen’s family roots go way back in Sevier County — and naturally, he’s concerned about his home considering the unpredictable behavior of the fire.
“It's just on top of the hill. It's just a matter of time till it comes down, depending on the wind, and so, we went to work to clear the brush,” said Jorgensen.
Jorgensen and his wife Holly got out before the evacuation order, and returned to their main residence in North Salt Lake, but not before working to give their Burrville property defensible space. And then they were unexpectedly contacted by their insurance company.
“We got a call from the insurance company telling us that they actually had a contract wildfire crew that's going to come out and help us,” said Jorgensen.
He said he wasn’t aware his policy provided that type of fire coverage, but he isn’t complaining.
“It was a pleasant surprise. you know, they alone, probably eliminated a day's worth of work for us by grabbing chain saws and cutting stuff down that we would have to do otherwise,” said Jorgensen.
Jorgensen said the two members of the crew are trained firefighters, and that he takes some comfort in knowing they’ll be watching over his home until the wildfire is brought under control.
However, he realizes not everyone is fortunate enough to have comprehensive home insurance coverage.
“There are some of the full-time residents that you know, maybe under insured or maybe not insured. I’m not sure, don't know the particulars,” said Jorgensen. “You know, my heart goes out to them. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, as well as the firefighters.”
