EUREKA, Utah — As the Iron Fire continued to rage on Tuesday, firefighters started to boost containment lines near the town of Eureka, where FOX 13 News had the opportunity to have a look at just how close the fire came to devastating the small mountain community.
“We’re at the scene of a crazy firefight,” said Toby Weed, public information officer for the Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 3.
Some who live in Eureka couldn’t see anything wrong with their Saturday morning.
“I woke up, and I had a view to the south,” said Bonnie Burt. “It was a lovely day.”
Burt lives on Church Street, having moved there a few years ago after retiring. Her perspective shifted drastically when she looked to the north.
“We were standing there and watched [the mountain] go ‘poof’ and ignite,” she shared.
Burt says her neighbors at the top of the street were in the critical spot.
“Where that house went, the rest of the street was going to go…and they held it off. They, amazingly, held it off,” said Burt.
The scorched earth left behind sits a matter of feet away from outhouses, swingsets and several back doors. In all cases, the homes of Eureka were miraculously saved.
Weed said it wasn’t just luck.
“There are chains of command that keep everything really tight within this fire organization,” said Weed.
The team hadn’t even arrived at that point, but he explained how coordination and communication from the hundreds of firefighters on-scene were key amid the complete chaos.
“On any initial attack, it’s going to be pretty crazy anyway,” Weed said. “But to coordinate it in such a way to stop the fire was a magnificent job.”
On Tuesday, crews could be seen east of town, working on ‘cold-trailing’ to add to their containment lines. But Weed sad expalined how a major firing operation started later in the day on the fire’s eastern side, which is expected to significantly increase acreage.
Fire officials also said they still have lingering concerns about a shift in the flames.
“If the fire were to come over Highway 6 and work its way to the south, and then it could come back to town here,” Weed said.
They also still have to turn back on all the power and utilities - so they’re holding off on bringing the people of Eureka back just yet.
“There’s going to be a high-level meeting with the team and the sheriff’s department midday Wednesday,” said Weed.
But locals are left feeling grateful, with signs supporting first responders lining the road from their camp in Santaquin to Elberta. Even with all the bad they’ve nearly endured, Burt can’t help seeing the good in her situation.
“I just feel so blessed - It really does take a community,” Burt said. “When we all need to get together, I know that I can trust these people.”
