Eagle Mountain Brush Fire Comes Close To Houses, Blackens Hillside

EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah — A fast-moving brush fire spread to 22 acres and briefly threatened houses before crews were able to get the upper hand Tuesday.

Unified Fire Authority spokesman Ryan Love said firefighters were dispatched at around 6 p.m. to the fire, which was spreading along a hillside north of SR 73 and The Ranches subdivision.

“We don’t know what the cause is yet or even the origin,” Love said. “When crews got here the fire was rapidly progressing to the west.”

Love said roughly 15 vehicles including a helicopter scrambled to the area to battle the flames.

“I know there (were) a lot of people out here trying to protect their own homes with garden hoses,” Love said. “We’ve got a few reports of inhalation as well from some of these civilians around here. It seems to be that everybody is OK right now.”

Caden Hazard said he was at work when the fire started.

“I came to take a look and see if it was close to my home, and I saw the commotion and just wanted to see how it was contained,” Hazard said. “What was concerning to me was watching neighbors say, ‘Hey, we got to get some stuff out of the house,’ with that concern that, hey, this might encroach on our house be burnt down.”

Danielle Huffman was surprised by how quickly the fire spread.

“Within a few minutes it was like the whole hill was on fire,” she said. “It was really scary because it was my back yard, and I thought, ‘I have my dogs and my animals.’ And our neighbor was running through grabbing their horses, trying to get them out.”

Firefighters said they were able to get the fire under control before dark, though a crew was expected to remain on the hillside overnight to watch for any flare-ups or hot spots.

Love said firefighters were grateful for the help from neighbors.

“We wanted to thank everybody for their help in trying to fight this fire together,” Love said. “We definitely appreciate it, and they help us out quite a bit.”