EUREKA, Utah — When the residents of Eureka evacuated in a frightening rush because of the oncoming Iron Fire on Saturday, they did so not knowing whether they’d ever see their homes the same way.
On Friday, days after flames came within feet of many homes in the small mountain town, residents were grateful to make their long-awaited return.
Kimberlee Clem was among the hundreds who left in a hurry, having nothing but her son, dog, and the clothes on her back.
“That night was horrible," Clem recalled. "But then, each day as it goes, they said the wind could change, and it could come back.”
So when people learned they could finally come home at noon Friday, it was like a parade as vehicles lined the road for the town's reopening. But while the usual drive from Elberta to Eureka is usually 10 minutes, it was an hour when the all-clear was given. And it was relieving to all.
Residents saw the Tintic hillsides around them scorched by flames, but were heartened to find their homes just as they left them.
“It’s good to be home… good to be home," said Eureka resident Bob Trepanier.
Trepanier was down in the Salina coal mines when the town got evacuated, so to walk the steps he took Friday, even as the smell of smoke lingered, was a breath of fresh air.
One thing that has changed is the view, which is charred and certainly not what many remembered.
“The mountains behind my house are my happy place, said Shelly Stansfield. “I suppose the only constant is change."
Stansfield owns The Company Store on Main Street and shared how Eureka's sense of place trumps all in the moment.
“We need the business, please support local. However, again, we’re so lucky to have a place to go home to,” she said.
“You know, when you live in the hills or the mountains, it’s nice, but it’s not without risk,” Trepanier warned.
As the Iron Fire continues to burn over the ridgelines near the town, that risk is one that residents are happy they can keep living with.
“You never know what life’s going to throw at you," said Trepanier. "You never know.”
