Eagle Mountain residents voice concerns after 10-acre brush fire burns near homes
EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah (ABC4) — A brush fire in Eagle Mountain on Thursday burned almost 10 acres of land directly behind residents’ homes — and concerns among residents continue to grow.
The community of Lone Tree in Eagle Mountain met with two of Eagle Mountain’s city council members on Saturday to discuss their concerns and what changes should be made moving forward.
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The conversation between residents and the city council members was centered around what they said went wrong on Thursday, as well as the changes residents are hoping will be made for the safety of their community and the city.
“It would have been very nice to have some sort of communication,” one resident said at the meeting. “We didn’t know that there was anybody even coming, and we could see flames.”
On Thursday, many residents were advised to evacuate their homes because of the brush fire that was approaching their homes.
While the fire was extinguished that same day — and residents were able to return to their homes shortly after — some residents said that won’t always be the case.
Residents also brought up concerns regarding the neighborhood’s entrances and exits.
“The code is a minimum standard,” another resident said. “That doesn’t mean you can only have two exits.”
On the day of the fire, residents were informed via social media that they should “evacuate while homes are potentially threatened,” and Eagle Mountain also urged residents who were using Pony Express Parkway to seek alternate routes.
Residents also want changes to be made to the emergency communication system, with one resident saying she was not even aware of the fire until a neighbor came to her door.
“He started knocking on the house and he told me to get out, there’s flames right behind your house,” she said at the meeting. “And every single person that I talked to on that street, no one got a notification until after it was clear.”
Other residents shared concerns about the way public lands are being maintained, with Eagle Mountain resident Jeff Ruth telling ABC4.com that the city has stopped maintaining the lands near his home — and across the city — over the past several years.
“It’s going to happen all over the city this year,” Ruth said. “Because they haven’t taken care of anything this year, and I don’t understand why.”
Saturday’s meeting was just a discussion, but residents said they hope to make some changes before another fire breaks out and someone loses everything.
“When you have a mess like this, it’ll run so fast it’s going to put people’s homes in danger,” Ruth said. “They put on a statement that, ‘We care about the citizens’ safety and that’s our number one priority.’ Well, this shows that no, it’s not.”
The city council members at the meeting said discussions like Saturday’s help them understand how to improve, but changes will take time. There will also be an opportunity for public comment at a city council meeting on Tuesday, July 2, with the meeting scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
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