PROVO — After more than a week of evacuations due to blazing wildfires, residents of Woodland Hills and Elk Ridge cities will be able to return home Saturday morning.
During a community meeting Friday evening at Salem Hills High School, the displaced residents learned they can return to their homes at 9 a.m. However, they should be prepared to evacuate again should the need arise, Woodland Hills Mayor Wendy Pray said. All other evacuations remain in place.
The announcement was met by loud applause, whistling and cheering from hundreds of people sitting in the bleachers of the school's gym.
"This has been a long haul. It's not been fun for any of us. But I have seen the best of the best through all of this. And it's been an opportunity for our communities to unite," said Elk Ridge Mayor Ty Ellis.
However, the battle isn't over as other areas remain threatened, Pray said, asking residents to pray for firefighters.
Ellis asked that when community members return to their homes, they stay there for "a few hours" so those following will have access to the cities, as traffic is expected to become congested in the area.
During the meeting, incident commander on the Bald Mountain Fire, Todd Pechota, thanked residents for their support.
"I just want to try to look you all in the eye and say thank you," he said, praising residents' patience and support.
He said a burnout on the west side of Payson Canyon of a 300-acre "piece of dirt … was absolutely critical to helping us button up a large portion of the north end of the fire."
"We believe that we've reached the point right now where we are at low risk of future threat to anybody in this room," he said, prompting another round of applause from the crowd.
The Pole Creek Fire is currently burning about 98,600 acres and was 32 percent contained Friday. Meanwhile, the adjacent Bald Mountain Fire is scorching about 18,000 acres with 12 percent containment.
Ariel Chandia said hearing the news that her family could go home was "like Christmas." With an infant and a 4-year-old, she said the experience has been a "little stressful … but it's been like an adventure."
"Yeah, we went to an aquarium the first day because the kids just needed distraction, you know? But it was really stressful at the very first. … You have to go through your house and say, 'What to take?'" Laura Chandia, Ariel's mother-in-law, chimed in.
"And really, there isn't much that can't be replaced."
Laura Chandia's son serves on the Elk Ridge volunteer fire department and works as a full-time firefighter in Ogden, "so he's been between Ogden and Elk Ridge and totally exhausted. But those men and women have done an amazing job," she said.
Ariel Chandia said it was "definitely a lot harder without having that extra pair of hands. … But we just buckled down and we did what we had to do."
Early Friday afternoon, a group of local officials from throughout the state met with Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, to discuss the fires and their potential aftermath.
"We've been so concentrated on these fires, and rightly so, we haven't wanted to take our eye off the ball," Curtis said after the closed meeting in his Provo office.
He called the meeting the first "deep dive" on what comes next.
"But now as we start seeing the heavy rains in sight, we're starting to ask questions of what are our worries, including mudslides and debris flows. … So today was kind of beginning that dialogue, and how do we start preparing for that?"
After the meeting with the congressman, a group of county commissioners gathered in a small office room to voice their frustration over federal land management, which they said has allowed vegetation to accumulate and become fuel for fires.
"First off, notice that those Type 1 teams that are here, they're doing phenomenal work. It's almost magical what they're doing as individuals … but there's a couple parts of this that I think is missing in the conversation," said Utah County Commissioner Bill Lee.
Lee said he is concerned that there will be flooding after the fires, with rocks and debris that will flow past the fire's burn scar. He also expressed frustration that the federal government comes to fight the fires but leaves for the aftermath, when rains start flowing.
"There are 2,000 (firefighters) up there — help us fill the sandbags, or is it just going to fall back on us?" Lee asked.
"The policies that get us to this point have failed us. The experiments should be over with this type of management that is going on right now when it comes to wilderness management," Lee said.
According to Beaver County Commissioner Tammy Pearson, "We know what's going on in our own backyard. There needs to be more local input."
She said the fires can't be blamed solely on circumstances like lightning strikes — which caused the Pole Creek and Bald Mountain fires — but a "tinderbox" created by vegetation.
"At any point in time, it could be any one of us, whether it's a spark off of a four-wheeler, or if it's somebody's backyard barbecue, or anything, this can start this catastrophic flare in your backyard or in my backyard. It's 100 years of fire suppression that has caught up with us. It's the perfect storm," Pearson said.
"So one thing I don't want to make people feel like is we're against the Forest Service or we're against the BLM people that are up there. But I think it's the national policies that actually drive the things that we're seeing today," said Uintah County Commissioner Duane Shepherd.
Curtis said he had a telephone conversation Friday morning with interim Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen, during which she committed that a "full and complete transparent review" on the fires will take place.
Christiansen also said potential mudflow and debris slides will be given the "same level of urgency" as the fires themselves, Curtis said. And after review, the Forest Service will be open to changes and open to consider "how they're doing things here," according to Curtis.
"I do think I have the ability to call Washington's attention out here and make sure that they're listening," the congressman said, adding that local, state and federal government working together will be key.
And for those who were evacuated due to the flames, Curtis said, "Thank you for your patience. Clearly, this group of displaced residents are worth bragging about in Washington, D.C., as well as those who have taken them in."