Evacuation Order False Alarm In Santaquin Brush Fire

SANTAQUIN, Utah — Several crews responded to a brush fire that started near the Summit Ridge area, just southwest of Santaquin. An evacuation was initially ordered, but it turned out to be a false alarm.

It was officially named the Goshen Fire Sunday afternoon. As of 10 p.m., it was estimated at 150 acres with 90% containment.

Officials said structures were being threatened, but no evacuations were ordered.

NEW START
Resources responding to a new start located in Utah County southwest of Santaquin. Structures threatened. Cause under investigation. #ffslkw pic.twitter.com/jqajOXGgR4

— Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) September 13, 2020

It was a close call for one neighborhood though as they were on high alert for a possible evacuation.

At one point, there was information from state fire officials that homes were being evacuated, but that turned out to be a false alarm. But some residents were ready just in case.

“You could see flames coming up over the hill that were really big,” said Santaquin resident Jay Allred. “When my wife first saw it, she was like, ‘I don’t know if we should be looking at the fire or be getting our stuff packed.'”

A huge plume of black smoke could be seen for miles around, with a great view from I-15.

Watching helicopters take turns filling up at the #GoshenFire burning southwest of Santaquin. It’s 100+ acres so far, but luckily not threatening any homes and there are no evacuations. @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/MXrwlZ5WHE

— Tania Dean (@taniadeanksl) September 13, 2020

Some residents were afraid they would have to evacuate.

“I was pretty nervous because I’ve already been through that, I know what it’s like,” said Hayden Nuttall, a resident of Santaquin. “I know how scary it is to have to evacuate and get out of there as fast as you can and take limited amount of things with you, so it’s pretty scary.”

The fire grew to more than a hundred acres in a short amount of time.

Tweets went out saying the Summit Ridge neighborhood was being evacuated, but that turned out to be not true.

#GoshenFire is estimated 200 acres. There are no evacuations at this time, as the fire is burning southwest of Santaquin. Aircraft, equipment, and crews are on scene

— Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) September 13, 2020

“A lot of times, smoke plumes tend to cause people more fear than is necessary, especially where it looks so close to you,” said Sierra Hellstrom, spokesperson for Goshen Fire. “It was just I think out of caution that some people were concerned and thought they were evacuating and some miscommunication with dispatch.”

Crews from Santaquin, Rocky Ridge, Payson, Goshen, and Genola fire departments responded to the blaze, according to Sgt. Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.

They were able to get to the Goshen Fire quickly because they were fighting another fire just a few miles away.

Residents said they were extremely grateful.

“They’ve had their work cut out, especially this summer, and they’ve done a great job — so we were nervous, but we weren’t worried about anything burning down,” said Santaquin resident Darin Call.

The cause was being investigated.