Firefighters increase containment on Dollar Ridge Fire, some residents allowed back into homes
Jul 9, 2018, 12:17 AM | Updated: 12:19 am
DUCHESNE, Utah – Firefighters increased their containment of the Dollar Ridge Fire on a stormy Sunday. Isolated thunderstorms brought rain, lightning, and gusty winds to Wasatch and Duchesne counties Sunday afternoon. While the fire’s estimated size remained at 49,789 acres, firefighters increased their containment to 35%.
While firefighters focused their efforts on the southwestern flank of the fire, some residents who had been evacuated were allowed back into their homes Sunday morning.
Doc and Ashley Hodges live in the Fruitland area. They run a foster dog ranch and had several dogs on their property when the fire broke out a week ago.
“We had several foster dogs and our own dogs and the community helped us provide kennels and shelter for those dogs, so we evacuated them the night before we left,” Ashley Hodges said.
The Hodges were evacuated from their home on Monday, dividing their time between a Red Cross shelter at Duchesne High School and a motel.
“It’s an odd mixture of boredom and frustration, because if it’s that important to you, and it really is that important to you, you should be able to do something, but you can’t,” Doc Hodges said.
They and their two labradors, Reba and Len, broke down their campsite at the shelter Sunday morning as the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office lifted mandatory evacuations in two zones surrounding the fire. The two zones, east and north of the fire, are still on a pre-evacuation notice, meaning they may be told to evacuate again if the fire shifts. They arrived home with their dogs early Sunday afternoon.
“We’ve got that sign up there saying ‘Evacuated, please save our home’ and it was great to see that it was here!” Ashley Hodges said.
The Red Cross closed their shelter after the two evacuation zones were reopened. A large area in the central section of the fire remains under mandatory evacuation. Emergency management workers are surveying the damages in areas that are safe to enter. They have not released any estimates of how many structures have been damaged or destroyed. There will be a community meeting at Duchesne High School Monday night at 7:00. Fire officials and sheriff’s office representatives will be available to talk with residents about their concerns and the plan for the week ahead.
