KOOSHAREM, Utah — The Monroe Canyon Fire burning in central Utah has grown to almost 65,000 acres and is 15 percent contained, in over three weeks.
While crews are working to put out the flames, they are proactively working on nearby towns in case the fire does spread there.
Steve Hiatt has been keeping a close eye on the fire from his front porch in Koosharem. "Then you got the big thing kicking up over there, that’s kind of scary,” he said, pointing to plumes of smoke. "Makes me nervous, makes me sad to see all that stuff burn. We've been hunting for years, and it’s just kind of crazy, just every day gets more and more.”
For the past few years, he has been spending summers in Koosharem.
"I'd take my side by side up here all the time, every time I was down here and just about every night I’d go up there and hunt deer and elk, who knows what it’s going to be like next year,” Hiatt added.
On Monday, evacuation orders were lifted on Burrville and people could return to their homes. And even though officials said they don’t anticipate any more evacuation orders now with wind directions shifting, they are prepared if needed.
On Wednesday, Hiatt saw fire crews set up hoses, collapsible water tanks and dozer lines by homes in Koosharem to help fight the blaze, if it they need it.
"Water is always a rare resource and so to have it staged in volume, gives us better chance to have success, if and when we need to apply that water,” said Dennis McCarthy, public information officer with Great Basin Team 5. “The water can be used to protect the structure in the case of an oncoming flame front, or the need to fire off before that flame front gets there.”
Hiatt said seeing these types of preparations is reassuring. “It makes me proud of them, and it’s good to see. People don’t see a lot of all that side of things, but these guys have been going through hell for the last few days."
With posters around town and little gestures of gratitude, Hiatt said people in Koosharem are doing what they can to say thank you to over a thousand fire fighters who are here from all over the country to help.
"I donated, and a lot of people donate money down at the store to help pay fight fighters’, who are coming in, their drinks and stuff like that, they just come together,” added Hiatt.
