Eagle Mountain residents express concerns after 10-acre brush fire burns near Utah homes

EAGLE MOUNTAIN, UT (ABC4) – A Bushfire at Eagle Mountain As of Thursday, nearly 10 acres of land were burned directly behind residents' homes — and residents' concerns continue to grow.

The Lone Tree community of Eagle Mountain met with two members of the Eagle Mountain Town Council on Saturday to discuss their concerns and what changes should be made in the future.

The conversation between residents and city council members focused on what they believe went wrong Thursday, as well as what changes residents hope will be made for the safety of their community and the city.

“It would have been really nice to have some sort of communication,” one resident said at the meeting. “We didn’t even know anyone was coming and we could see flames.”

On Thursday, many residents were asked to evacuate their homes due to the bushfire approaching their homes.

Although the fire was extinguished the same day – and residents were able to return to their homes shortly after – some residents said that would not always be the case.

Residents also raised concerns about entering and exiting the area.

“The code is a minimum standard,” another resident said. “That doesn’t mean you can only have two outings.”

On the day of the fire, residents were informed via social networks that they should “evacuate while homes are potentially at risk,” and Eagle Mountain also urged residents who used Pony Express Parkway to seek alternative routes.

Residents also want changes to be made to the emergency communications system, with one resident saying she wasn't even aware of the fire until a neighbor came to her door.

“He started knocking at the house and he told me to get out, there are flames right behind your house,” she said during the meeting. “And every single person I talked to on that street, no one got any notification until everything was clear.”

Other residents shared concerns about how public lands are maintained, Eagle Mountain resident Jeff Ruth told ABC4.com that the city has stopped maintaining the land near his home – and throughout the city – in recent years.

“It’s going to happen all over town this year,” Ruth said. “Because they haven’t done anything this year, and I don’t understand why.”

Saturday's meeting was just a discussion, but residents said they hope to make some changes before another fire breaks out and someone loses everything.

“When you have a mess like this, it’s going so fast that it’s going to put people’s homes in danger,” Ruth said. “They said, 'We care about the safety of citizens and that is our number one priority.' Well, that shows that no, that's not the case.

City council members at the meeting said discussions like Saturday's help them understand how to improve, but that changes will take time. There will also be an opportunity for public comments during a municipal council meeting on Tuesday July 2with the meeting scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.