Help Arrives After Morgan County Snowplows Destroyed In Fire
Dec 17, 2020, 7:30 PM | Updated: Dec 18, 2020, 8:42 am
MORGAN, Utah – Several counties stepped in to help Morgan County after a fire devastated their roads department building and left crews with just one functioning snowplow.
The roads department thought they might have to scramble to find enough help to get ready for Thursday’s storm — but they were wrong.
Bret Heiner, public works director for Morgan County said there’s not much left of the shop and firefighters had a tough time getting inside to fight the fire Monday.
Morgan County’s snowplows were destroyed in a fire this week. (Mike Anderson/KSL-TV)
“There was so much smoke and so much pressure,” he said. “They couldn’t even get the doors open. Had to cut the doors. As you can see, they had to cut the doors in half just to get in.”
An apparent electrical fire from one of the older plow trucks spread, destroying everything inside.
“Five plow trucks, a ton truck, a loader, just like you see here. Ruined them all. A total loss on all our equipment. Had another pickup truck that got ruined.”
Bret Heiner, public works director for Morgan County. (Mike Anderson/KSL-TV)
With one remaining snowplow, Heiner knew they would need to ask for help with a storm on the way.
“It’s amazing what happened after that,” Heiner said. “Every county in northern Utah responded.”
They’ve now got a truck from Utah County, one from the Utah Department of Transportation, two from Summit County and three from Wasatch County. Many others offered, so there’s more available if they need it.
Not at all the best timing. Morgan County Roads Department lost all but one of their snowplows to fire Monday. Today, multiple other agencies are pitching in, making it possible for them to keep clearing the roads. The story, on @KSL5TV at 6pm. pic.twitter.com/rlqkdDNo7s
— Mike Anderson (@mikeandersonKSL) December 17, 2020
“It’s just amazing how great the people are in Utah, the outpour of support from other counties and cities,” Heiner said.
It’s why many homeowners likely didn’t notice any difference Thursday. The roads department will get by for now in a smaller garage and county building. They still without a repair shop, but Heiner said they have what they need to tackle winter.
“All we could do when this happened is pray, and people just stepped up,” he said.
Unfortunately, new plows can’t be bought like cars — they have to be custom made. Heiner said they’ll likely continue to depend on loaned gear for most of the winter.
