SANDY, Utah — Officials say Utahns shouldn't let Wednesday’s rain showers fool them, because things remain tinder dry in many areas of the state.
A brush fire Tuesday in Sandy came dangerously close to several nearby homes. It was a relatively small fire, only about four acres, but right in the middle of several properties.
It’s a neighborhood very close to Dimple Dell Park, which, according to officials, is essentially a 700-acre tinderbox.
So for those living in the area, having defensible space is key moving forward this summer.
John and Monica Valovic said Tuesday’s fire was way too close for comfort.
“I think another five-minute delay from the fire department being here, I think a lot of these trees would’ve went up, and it’s too close to the house," John said.
"That’s when they were screaming at us: ‘Get out! Get out!'” Monica added.
Just moments before being told to leave, John said he and some of his neighbors were battling the blaze with garden hoses.
“It’s your place — you do whatever you can do to defend it until someone else shows up with bigger, more effective tools, and you stand back and stay out of their way," he said.
Sandy City fire crews took over from there.
Sandy Fire Chief Ryan McConaghie said they were fortunate to deploy as many resources as quickly as they did.
“Knowing how dry it is and knowing the region that came in with the call, it was very worrisome, considering it could go bad very quickly," he said.
Realizing they dodged a proverbial bullet, the Valovics spent much of Wednesday cleaning up and creating more defensible space around their home.
John said he hopes there isn’t a “next time” but wants to hedge his bets by clearing away foliage that burns easily.
“Ground level combustibles, you know, try to get rid of them," he said.
McConaghie said he hopes other homeowners do the same.
“Everything is dry, everything is dangerous, and it could go up just like that," he cautioned.
John said the firefighting effort and now the cleanup brought him and his neighbors closer.
“We were joking that we’ll have to have a different kind of barbecue pretty soon. It definitely brought out that sense that, 'Yeah, we’re all in this together,'" he said.
