‘I can’t say how much it means:’ Tooele Co. resident thanks first responders for saving his future home
Jul 10, 2022, 7:44 PM | Updated: May 21, 2023, 4:41 pm
TOOELE COUNTY, Utah — Fire crews from across the state are still working on getting control over the Jacob City fire in Tooele County that sparked Saturday from a generator explosion.
As winds pick up and temperatures rise, the fire is becoming more active, crews are warning residents in the Salt Lake Valley and Utah County that they will likely see more smoke and ash from the fire.
The fire has not destroyed any homes but came dangerously close to a house under construction.
The roads are closed, and only crews are allowed in right now, but the homeowners walked us through the hectic moments when the fire got dangerously close to his property.
“I said, ‘Mom get your stuff, get out of here, this fire is moving fast,'” Myron Burnett recalled after seeing his first glimpse of the flames. “Within five minutes, it had already gone all the way down a hill up a hill and was burning across even with me.”
Smoke filled the sky as the fire inched towards Burnett’s property, which had hundreds of thousands of dollars of construction materials.
“At least half a dozen times I thought, that’s it,” Bernett said.
And fire crews raced to line his property with one big concern.
“We have 1,500 gallons of propane up there, and the fire guy said, ‘Oh, that will blow up six city blocks,'” Burnett said.
As the fire took over, the mountainside crews dropped retardant right on Burnett’s property line.
“That was a moment of rejoicing because you just thought it was all finished,” Burnett said.
That drop saved Burnett’s future home.
“We had all our construction materials lining the edge of the brush, and when you look at it, you’ll see all our construction sheds with all of our tools, maybe two trees, and then it was all burnt. It was that close,” Burnett said.
Burnett and his family now have a heartfelt message for the crews risking their lives.
“Thank you, try and say it without crying, I can’t say how much it means to have people that care.”
