As Dollar Ridge Fire Continues to Blaze, Locals Are Facing New ‘Problem’

DUCHESNE, Utah – Tragedies always seem to have a way to find out what a town is really made of.

“It’s amazing,” said Ciara Larson, as she was counting cans of food.

Larson always knew Duchesne was a good place. It’s just now she really knows.

Ciara Larson

“I am overjoyed by the amount of things that have been donated,” she said. “Loads and loads, like, and people from other communities, like the Ute tribe came in with five trucks and they just dumped and then they’re like, ‘what else can we bring?’”

Truck after truck and car after car lined the parking lot outside Duchesne High School.

Many of them were full of supplies to help those evacuated from the Dollar Ridge Fire.

Larson, who is also a school teacher at the local elementary school, kind of became the organizer. She felt like she had to.

“Most of my students live out there. And I have seen five of them today that have had to leave and don’t know how their house is and that’s terrible,” said Larson.

Even evacuees, like Ed Hutchins, came to the high school to help.

Hallway with cases of water

He has been out of his home for five days.

“And I was lucky to get my things out,” he said.

He knew there were so many donations coming in, there was a need to move boxes and carry cases of water from the trucks to storage rooms in the high school.

“Everyone needs to do that. They need to get involved with their neighbors and their friends and see if they can help them,” said Hutchins.

However, there has been so much help, and so many donations, it’s starting to become an issue.

Cases of water line the hallways, as well as tables full of clothes and room full of food.

Jason Young

“We have more volunteers than we can use,” said Jason Young, who is also helping to organize the relief efforts. “We have more supplies than we can use.”

That is a good problem to have, but it’s still a problem.

“A common phrase we hear in Utah I guess we need to use is, ‘slow the flow’. We just don’t have the space nor do we have the need,” said Young.

Still, you can’t blame people for wanting to help.

It’s what you do when bad things happen to those you care about.

“I’m just here to help and if somebody asks a question you find an answer,” said Larson.