Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter
Rich Civic Times
RANDOLPH, Utah.
September 5, 2018. The North Eden
Fire, which impacted thousands of acres, cost over $2 million to fight. “Aerial support is expensive,” said Dan Ames,
County Fire Warden. The state fire
policy pays for it, this was one of the most expensive fires this year.
Rocky Mountain Power may be considered responsible for the
fire and if investigations bear this out then they are responsible for the
cost of fighting the fire. Local
firefighters and those who came from throughout the state are paid to fight
these fires.
There were two vehicles destroyed, one fire truck will be
replaced by State Risk Management. Woodruff’s truck belonged to the federal government
so it will be replaced by federal funds.
Ames has placed orders for new trucks.
The destruction of the trucks was due to the fact that they
are air powered and the air-line was cut or torn so their brakes automatically
locked. Three firefighters nearly lost
their lives running out of the fire. Flames were three feet high, then the wind
shifted producing frightening twenty-five foot fires
Most of the firefighters are wild lands fire trained but
haven’t been issued their red cards yet because the paperwork has not been sent
in. If the paperwork had been done, local
firefighters would have been reimbursed at a higher rate. Ames said it was because they hadn’t had a
big fire like this in a long time.
He also said they hadn’t used county equipment for years.
Ames said our sagebrush is so dry it explodes when on fire
and hopes for a wet winter. The County
is under fire restrictions until October 31, but there may be a need to extend
the season.
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