SALT LAKE CITY — More than 100 firefighters worked throughout the weekend to contain the Bonneville Fire burning near the University of Utah campus. Among them were dads who spent Father’s Day away from their families, risking their lives to keep the community safe.
FOX 13 News spoke with some of the firefighters on Sunday who say they’ll cherish family time even more once the fire is finally out.
“I love being a father. It’s everything,” said Nick Dokos, a firefighter with the Salt Lake City Fire Department. “My sons are my best buddies.”
Dokos has been fighting the nearly 500-acre blaze for the last couple of days. But while he’s out protecting the community, he can’t help but think about his two sons.
“Missing holidays when you’re here is hard because you want to be with your kids and your family on those important days,” he said.
SLCFD Battalion Chief Charlie Halvorsen says hearing his family’s voices helps carry him through difficult days like this one.
“We all miss our family. I miss mine,” he said. “But I’m going to see them later, and I’ve already had them on the phone, you know? I’m a girl dad and a boy dad, so I’m getting cute pictures and good thumbs ups.”
He says the sacrifices make them value the time they do get with their families.
“You’re going to miss some birthdays, Father’s Days and Mother's Days, so it is a sacrifice, but it’s a sacrifice that helps us appreciate the time that we have together even more,” Halvorsen explained. “So, I think we’re lucky that way. If this job gives us anything, it’s perspective.”
No evacuations were in place Sunday night. The fire department has put the Arlington Hills neighborhood, between 11th Avenue and Tomahawk Drive, under a “READY” evacuation notice, meaning there’s no immediate danger, though conditions could change fast.
Officials said they expect crews to be out on the scene until Tuesday.
