Firefighters continue combatting Iron Fire in Eureka

EUREKA, Juab County — Firefighters were able to stop a raging human-caused fire from burning down houses in Eureka after the blaze ignited on Friday.

Toby Weed with Utah Fire Info spoke with KSL about how close the Iron Fire came to houses as it eventually grew to 24,284 acres on Monday.

“The fire came to the back doorstep of some of the structures, some of the houses,” Weed said. “Not last night, but the night before, firefighters were right up on people’s back steps.” While no homes were destroyed, Weed said flames spread quickly due to plant life, or fuel in the area.

“It’s super hot and dry,” he said. “So the fuels, or the … vegetation, is pretty volatile and able to catch fire, and when it does, the fire spreads really rapidly.”

Weed said firefighters were expecting similar weather on Monday as the Bonneville Fire in Salt Lake City was expected to face. Both the Bonneville and Iron fires were likely to experience wind shifts Monday afternoon or evening.

The town of Eureka remained under an evacuation order on Monday after being asked to evacuate on Saturday night. Two emergency shelters were set up for evacuees at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouses.

One shelter, located in Elberta at 15456 S. 12800 West Street, seemed to be the most popular among the two.

“The (shelter) that most people went to was the one right in Elberta,” Weed explained. “But then people kind of dispersed with family and friends across the valley. And so, most people didn’t have to actually utilize the evacuation center.”

The second emergency shelter was located at 75 S. Center in Goshen.

While Eureka residents remained evacuated, Weed said it looked like evacuees were closer to returning home due to firefighters’ “extinguishment tactics.”

According to Weed, those tactics included firefighters having a safe place to actively engage with the fire right on the edge of the town, which Weed said would help evacuees get home faster.