EUREKA, Utah — The scene near the Cherry Fire in Juab County is apocalyptic, with one ranch owner in Eureka sharing that what used to be his animals' safe space is now their graveyard.
“The uncertainty is maddening," said Bret Van Leeuwen. "We don’t know what to expect, we don’t know what’s here.”
Van Leeuwen has made the drive to his ranch property in Eureka more times than he can count, but on Sunday, it felt different as gusty winds and a raging wildfire ripped through this small community.
The wind was blowing so hard, 50 miles an hour, and that fire moves so fast, by the time I got there, it was just a wall of smoke," added Gary Cooper.
Cooper co-owns the property with Van Leeuwen and was there when the Cherry Fire tore through the area.
The combined threats of the Cherry and Iron wildfires forced another round of evacuations, meaning everyone had to leave behind their livelihoods.
“We had livestock there, and by the time we got there, we just had to give up on that," said Cooper. "All we could do was cut fences.”
With the men able to return Sunday after the evacuations were lifted at noon, Van Leeuwen made the drive to Eureka, which more resembled a ghost town. And as he set foot on his property, reality began to set in.
“These trees are 20, 30, 50 years old, and I’ll never see them," he shared. "Right here we would be in waist-high grass, and it’s just a desert.”
The hope that the livestock made it out alive suddenly became wishful thinking.
“These poor girls, gosh darn it. They never had a chance. I mean, usually they could just get out in front, but we’re littered with just carcasses here.”
But in the midst of despair, a few miracles did happen as some livestock survived the flames.
Van Leeuwenn and Cooper lost about 1,500 acres of ranch and now must start over.
“The first item is probably burying those animals, get them taken care of," Van Leeuwen said. "I’ve just never had anything like this and have to deal with it, so I don’t know.”
Van Leeuwenn is now pleading for people to take fire restrictions seriously.
“Just lighting a fire, and if it’s windy, just don’t, don’t.”
