Cowboys help Utah ranchers save cattle from wildfires

PAYSON —

Utah cowboys are saddling up to save their neighbors’ livelihoods from wildfire season.

More than 1,100 cattle are being threatened by the Bald Mountain and Pole Creek fires, which have been encroaching on grazing areas since the fires started on Sept. 10.

So when Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox reached out to twitter for help evacuating the stranded cattle from the Diamond Fork area, Utah responded.

Cox was overwhelmed by support from local ranchers, who volunteered in massive numbers. Cox later had to delete his tweet to avoid overrunning the endangered area with too many volunteers.

I’ve deleted a post asking for help rounding up cattle. The response was overwhelming (of course!). For safety purposes in an active fire, we can’t have too many people riding in that canyon. After meeting they will be able to determine how many they can take in. pic.twitter.com/hsONpQu1rb

— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) September 20, 2018

According to Chason Hortin of the Spanish Fork Grazing Company, the cattle are spread over about 20 miles in the Diamond Fork area, and are difficult to reach due to fires on either side. More than 30 Utah cowboys are assisting in corralling cattle and leading them down the canyon.

Spent the afternoon in Woodland Hills, Covered Bridge and Diamond Fork. Today was a better day than expected. Oh, and this crew from Vegas told us, “We’ve fought fires all over the west, and this community here, is the best we’ve ever seen.” #PoleCreekFire #BaldMountainFire pic.twitter.com/jquuUfAmln

— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) September 20, 2018

Cox’s twitter account includes praise for Utah’s community-driven response to the fires, including this quote from a crew of Las Vegas firefighters: “we’ve fought fires all over the west, and this community here, is the best we’ve ever seen.”

“We got to try and find every single cow up there,” said Payson resident Steve Money. “It’s the cowboy way.”