By Pat Reavy and Lana Groves
The Deseret Morning News
HERRIMAN, Utah — Carole Atkins doesn’t care if her house survives.
She’s not even that concerned about the meter she needs for diabetes that was left at her Herriman home during evacuation.
It’s her two horses — a black mini named Texi and a black and white Shetland named Bandit — that had her listening with wide interest Tuesday night as officials announced that residents from another 200 homes would be allowed to return.
Sadly, her home is not on the list.
“My babies, the horses, are our primary concern,” she explained while standing next to her husband, Tom, outside the command post in Herriman after the 8 p.m. news conference.
“My husband was up there with an escort (Monday), but they weren’t able to find them.”
Atkins and nearly 450 residents were irate with officials after emergency escorts back to people’s homes were stopped Tuesday morning.
Officials have since announced residents of about 225 homes east of 7400 West can now return home after being evacuated by Sunday’s fire that destroyed three homes and burned a fourth.
However, all homeowners west of 7400 West heading up Rose Canyon Road and Mountain Top Road — residents of the High Country Estates Subdivision 2 — will remain evacuated.
Understanding the frustration
Escort privileges have been reinstated for residents with “legitimate” concerns, Unified Fire Chief Michael Jensen announced Tuesday evening.
“We understand people are frustrated, and we sympathize with you,” Jensen said. “But we don’t feel comfortable letting people in the Rose Canyon area return home. We want to be able to look each and every one of you in the face and say you can sleep safely at home.”
The fire was 50 percent contained as of Tuesday night, but about 225 residents remained evacuated.
Matt Sampson, who can now be escorted home for emergency reasons, is still frustrated his neighbors can sleep at home and he can’t.
He and his wife slept at home Monday night without any concern, but after he went to work Tuesday morning, he couldn’t get back home.
“We can’t see any smoke!” a frustrated Sampson yelled at officials at the command post in Herriman earlier Tuesday.
“It’s 10 miles from our house to the fire. I just don’t understand it. We have a neighbor who’s 500 feet away and inside their home. That evacuation line is arbitrary.”
But fire and police officials weren’t taking any chances.
Red Flag Warning
More than 400 firefighters will stay in Herriman, battling the wildfire.
The National Weather Service had issued a Red Flag Warning for between noon and 9 p.m., meaning higher temperatures, low humidity and wind gusts up to 40 mph threatening to push the fire like it did on Sunday when the blaze started and quickly spread out of control.
Firefighters up in the Rose Canyon area made significant progress Tuesday despite wind and humidity factors.
“We had a wind event and we were planning for the worst,” Scott Bushman of the Bureau of Land Management said.
“Some fire crept along the edge of the mountain, but we were able to contain enough that we feel safe to lift some of the evacuation orders.”
Crews dropped retardant on several hotspot areas and were able to hold a strong front against the fire.
The engulfed area increased by 5 acres, upping the fire coverage to 4,351 acres.
Bushman said that was more because of improved mapping technology than the fire actually spreading.
The increased fire activity was mostly on the eastern and western flanks of the fire line.
Crews fought to make breaks between the unburned fuel and homes Tuesday as the fire spread.
Frustration continues
Residents from the 450 homes that were evacuated most of Tuesday were initially upset because they weren’t allowed to return to their homes, even for emergency supplies.
“We’re getting a little frustrated at this point,” Bethany Mickelsen said outside the command center Tuesday afternoon.
“We want to know what to wear tomorrow and maybe put some makeup on.”
“Our house is a good block from the smoke,” her husband, Shane Mickelsen, said.
“What’s interesting is they tell you no and then ask where you live.”
Before being evacuated Sunday night, the Mickelsens were able to grab their 1-year-old Yorkie dog, Max, but the family is quickly running out of clothes and other necessary items.
Jenny White, who lives in the High Country Estates subdivision, is trying to work with police to get back into her home because her pet dog is still there.
Her family was allowed to return briefly Monday night but hoped they could return Tuesday.
Now, it’s not looking like she’ll be able to go back home until today Wednesday at least. “Lib — our dog — is probably like, ‘What the heck, no one’s home,’?” White said.
Winds stop water drops
Officials also suspended water drops from helicopters based on the high winds ripping through Herriman at 30-40 mph.
Fire officials were most worried about the Rose Canyon area Tuesday.
Even though the hillside looks blackened to most of the public, Jensen said there was still enough fuel left.
“A lot of scrub oak will retain heat inside,” Jensen said earlier. One of the main problems concerning officials is the fire could travel faster than winds — giving residents just minutes to evacuate if things turn ugly, said Jason Curry, information officer for the Incident Management Team.
“The fire can spread pretty quickly,” he said. “The probability of embers igniting and being able to jump is 90 percent.”
Yet, to Jim Gust and his son Tyler, whose home is miles away from any sign of smoke or hot spots, they just want to go home briefly and grab a few things.
“We thought because they said it’d be open by noon (Tuesday), we could go back in,” Jim Gust said.
“For the people up on top of the mountain, I understand there’s still danger. But for anyone along Rose Canyon Road, it’s ridiculous.”
The number of firefighters doubled from 200 to 400 with the arrival of BLM and U.S. Forest Service crews from Wyoming, Idaho and parts of Utah.
An array of heavy machinery including bulldozers, Blackhawk helicopters and planes were assisting with the fire effort.
As of Tuesday night, there were no plans to reduce the number of firefighters there. Lt. Col. Hank McIntyre of the Utah National Guard again issued an apology Tuesday and an admittance of guilt from the guard for conducting a live-fire exercise Sunday during a Red Flag Warning.
Government assistance
He said the government was prepared to assist with the claim-filing process for people who had lost homes or had property damage.
He advised those people to first contact their private insurance company.
After that, they are advised to call either 801-432-4980 or 877-901-4980 to talk about insurance claims with the government.
The case number for the fire is 15568, according to the United Fire Authority.
McIntyre said it was understandable that many Herriman residents are upset — especially the three homeowners who lost everything.
“We’re making an effort to reach out to them,” he said. Carole Atkins didn’t think much of the apology, though.
“What good does an apology do?” she asked Tuesday night. “That would be like me punching you in the face and saying, ‘I’m sorry.’?”
Some residents grateful
Resident Terri Williams is another who can’t return home Tuesday night, but she’s grateful for fire officials and Herriman City officials.
She doesn’t even feel too much anger for Camp Williams’ mistake.
“I’m upset at Camp Williams for firing the weapons, but they’re out there trying to protect us,” she said. “They’re working really hard in Iraq and Afghanistan. If the military couldn’t shoot, then I’d be worried. So I know they need to practice.”
The Herriman woman is hoping to be escorted home Tuesday night to feed her chickens, cats and a pig that were left behind.
The Greater Salt Lake Chapter of the American Red Cross, which had set up an emergency shelter for food and assistance at an LDS Church meetinghouse Monday night, closed that center and relocated to the Herriman City Hall — just across from the command station.
Most of the homeowners who have been allowed to return to their homes have said their residences now smell like campfires.
Jensen said he had heard of numerous homeowners, even those who were not evacuated, who say their homes were affected by the smoke from the wind-driven wildfire.
Another home located in the Arnold Hollow area suffered about $30,000 damage in the early stages of the fire.
Most of the damage was to the house’s siding, which melted, officials said.
The Utah company Disaster Solutions posted several tips on its website for homes that smell like smoke at www.disastersolutionslc.com.
One step is to change the filters on a home’s heating and air systems.
They also recommend a home’s HVAC system be cleaned by a professional.
Residents should also be mindful of the chemicals they use to clean their furniture when trying to get the smell of smoke out, according to the website.
Copyright 2010 The Deseret News Publishing Co.