VEYO, Washington County — Marquita Hess said she should have been boarding a flight to Iraq on Saturday. Instead, the copper-haired resident of Veyo was watching a wildfire swoop into a steep canyon on the edge of her property where the Santa Clara River continues to twist its way toward St. George.
"It started down the gorge in several places. When it does that, it really goes fast," said Hess a few hours after air crews bombed the advancing flames with water and fire retardant.
Firefighting efforts near the Hess home on Saturday morning included a full battery of heavy air tankers, helicopter water tankers and firefighters stationed at strategic points. Hess and her neighbors were in awe of the dramatic air attack that quickly doused the flames, keeping the fire at bay, she said.
Gunlock residents also enjoyed some good news Saturday when fire officials lifted a voluntary evacuation order of the town's 150 residents issued the day before. The road into Gunlock remains heavy with fire traffic and is only open to local residents.
One 17-year-old resident of Gunlock said he didn't think many of his neighbors agreed to leave.
"Maybe some of the old folks," said Meb Bowler, who was helping Gunlock's volunteer fire department clean up after the fire singed a hillside not far from Main Street.
Mike Joyner said he appreciated Bowler's assistance, but then, it was something that everyone in town always does.
"This town really came through good," Joyner said as he cleared water out of a fire hose. "Last night this place was a zoo with all the engines and trucks and people. But everybody turned out and nothing got burned."
The Sunrise Complex fire that threatened Gunlock and Veyo is a group of seven fires started by lightning Wednesday evening. More than 17,000 acres have been burned. Residents of Gunlock were invited to a community meeting for an update on the fire Saturday night.
A wildfire also forced the evacuation of the town last month, and flooding washed out bridges cutting off access to the town in January.
Although U-18 between Veyo and Dammeron Valley was closed for a short time on Saturday morning, the move seemed to do little to stop commerce at the Veyo Cafe. Lunch booths were full and folks were still buying pop and snacks.
Even Hess said the wildfire inching toward her place never quite put fear into her heart.
"Oh no. I wasn't afraid. When the good Lord wants me, he'll take me, no matter where I am," she said.
On Tuesday, Hess will board a flight that includes five stops and takes her straight into a war zone.
"I'm a convoy commander, leading refrigerated semi-trailers full of supplies," said Hess, who works for a civilian contractor. Four military Humvees advance the convoy of trucks, providing protection to the men and women behind them.
"It's not a job for everybody," said Hess in a matter-of-fact tone. "I try to be cautious and try to help my people do their jobs with the same sense of caution."
Elsewhere, firefighters in western Box Elder County had their hands full with the Park Valley fire, burning about one mile south of Park Valley.
The fire began Friday about 3 p.m. on private land and was reported to have burned about 18,000 acres.
Some scattered ranches and outbuildings on the land were threatened, but fire information officer Ali Knutson said firefighters successfully protected all of them.
The Park Valley fire is 65 percent contained, Knutson said, and firefighters expected to entirely contain it by 10 p.m. Saturday.
Shifting winds — sometimes as fast as 20 mph — made firefighters' work more difficult Saturday, she said. Originally, the fire was headed southeast but wind forced the fire to head west Saturday.
Twenty-three fire engines, two bulldozers, four water tenders, a helicopter and two heavy airtankers worked the fire, constructing lines and dropping water and retardant.
The fire, which originally was reported as lightning-caused, is still under investigation since it started on private land, Knutson said.
E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com; jdougherty @desnews.com