ELBERTA, Utah — Residents of multiple towns forced to evacuate over the weekend due to the Iron and Cherry wildfires in Juab County have been allowed to return to their homes.
The Juab County Sheriff's Office posted Sunday that Eureka, Mammoth and Silver City residents can return at noon, and that Highway 6 has been reopened.
The green light to return comes less than 48 hours after the evacuation order was issued as the wildfires grew at a rapid and chaotic pace Friday night.
All residents will remain on SET status and should monitor fire conditions and be ready to evacuate again should the need arise.
Evacuation orders for Vernon Reservoir and the Lofgreen area in Tooele County remain in effect.
On Saturday, firefighters made good progress against both wildfires that are burning mostly in Juab County, as the big weather change provided some relief, according to the Great Basin Incident Management team.
Officials said the Iron Fire is remaining in its control line, which is good news, and allowing a shifting of resources to the nearby Cherry Fire.
The wildfires have combined to burn over 75,000 acres of land.
The Iron Fire has burned 41,467 acres with 77% containment.
The Cherry Fire is sitting at 34,224 acres on Monday after undergoing incredible growth on Friday evening during a chaotic night in which evacuation orders were issued for residents in Eureka, Mammoth and Silver City.
The better weather conditions also allowed good progress to be made on the Cherry Fire.
Teams are now monitoring Eureka and ranches near the Cherry Fire.
Up to 800 personnel are currently battling the fires, along with 12 aircraft at one point, as crews attempted to contain them.
"Sunday’s forecast brings a meaningful change from the hot, dry, and windy conditions of
recent days. Cooler temperatures, higher humidity, and lighter west winds are expected to moderate fire behavior and create a favorable opportunity for firefighters to make progress," said fire officials. "Fire activity is still possible
in areas with residual heat, particularly in juniper fuels on the Cherry Fire."
Although the cooler temperatures and lower winds were a relief to firefighters, it is expected to only be temporary, with the heat returning by the second half of the upcoming week.
The big question for many was when evacuees would be able to return to their homes. The holdup was for crews to monitor the fingers of the fires that had yet to be contained.
"We've never had to evacuate the town," said Eureka resident Tom Nedreberg.
Nedreberg was actually out of town at the beginning of last week's evacuations.
"We heard about the fire. We did check the Ring cameras, it looked like it was snowing, and it was at 3 a.m. and it was totally bright," he said. "We were concerned about our cat, we were concerned about, you know, our home. A teacher that my wife works with… got our cat and took her to Santaquin.”
Tom was able to return to his Eureka home on Thursday, but almost the moment he got back, it was time to leave again
“We were there for two hours, just enough to cook dinner and pack the truck and leave… It's frustrating, but I also look at my privilege in that I had a place to go, I had a daughter that I could rely on, and I think there are a lot of people in the community that feel that way," he said.
Those who live in the area and are now allowed to go home know that Utah has a lot of healing to do.
“It's really sad, and it's... I mean, how do you describe what it is that's happening," asked Nedreberg. "Don't take it for granted. I mean, it just goes up in smoke that quick.”
