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SUMMIT COUNTY — The Rockport Fire has burned eight homes and threatened hundreds more. One home in the evacuation zone was set to be the site of a wedding this Saturday.
Bride-to-be Tawni Sprouse and her fiancee Travis Mann were both at work Tuesday when they saw the smoke from the fire. They drove to Sprouse's parents' house, the site of Saturday's wedding, where their 5 year-old daughter was staying.
"We got to the (highway) and it was completely blocked off. The cops wouldn't let us go by. They said under no circumstance could we go to our home. We knew it was bad at that point," Mann said.
For two days, they've watched the flames come closer to their house, which was being readied for an outside wedding ceremony for Saturday.
"The house is perfect for an outside wedding," Sprouse said. "There is a long stone aisle. They planted bushes and trees everywhere."
On Thursday they received a police escort back to their home to survey any damages.
Related:
Officials revise number of structures lost to 8
Crews battling the Rockport 5 Fire hoped to take advantage of cooler morning temperatures Thursday to get an upper hand on the destructive blaze."It was taken very seriously. So much so that you had to promise no more than 10 minutes and you needed to get right back out," Sprouse said.
To their surprise, they found the home still standing.
"When you go back up there, everything is just black. It looks like the house was spared, but just barely," Sprouse said.
They grabbed necessary medications and Sprouse's wedding dress, which had been left behind when the home's residents fled the flames.
"It's amazing. Amazing. I'm very grateful we were able to get that," Sprouse said.
After assessing the situation at the home in Rockport, the couple realized the outdoor wedding they planned would no longer be possible.
- The Park City Shelter will close at 6 p.m. Thursday evening. The Coalville shelter will remain open for any evacuees in need.
- Police escorts into the fire area to retrieve personal items will be suspended at 5:00 p.m. Thursday evening and will resume Friday morning at 10:00 a.m.
"Everything around it is just scorched. It's smokey and there's ash," Mann said.
Sprouse said she no longer cares as much about the venue for her wedding.
Other homeowners had close calls when the evacuation notice was levied.
The Rasmussen family was one of the first to lose a home in the fire. A fundraiser in their honor is being organized on the football field of North Summit High School for Thursday night.
"It's pretty horrific," said homeowner Crissy Rasmussen, "I'm doing okay today just because I had a friend keeping me busy. Then every time someone asks, it brings the emotions all back."
The Rasmussen's 12-year-old son, Cayman, was at home as the fire approached the house.
"The didn't know for about a half hour where he was. It was pretty scary," said family friend Jacki Vernon.
Cayman made it out of the house but the home and everything inside, including years of family photographs, were lost in the home.
Vernon and others hope by welcoming all to Thursday's barbecue and movie event they can make a difference for the victims.
Some homeowners who lost property in the fire said they have been feeling the absence of what they left behind.
"You just start having nightmares about it, the worst at all times. The stress level goes sky-high," said homeowner Tom Ward.
The Red Cross said it's still busy addressing immediate needs like shelter and food for the victims of the fire.
People who are running low on clothes and other necessities will get help in time, said Red Cross worker Brett Cross.
"Once we start knowing who exactly was affected by the disaster and who lost their homes, we'll be able to start doing that case-by-case and start getting those types of things restored," Cross said.
Rasmussen said that despite the stress of dealing with the fire, the people in her neighborhood have been incredible.
"This community has just been an awesome place," Rasmussen said. "And the people people here are just out of the world."
The fundraiser for the Rasmussen family will be held Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the North Summit High School Football Field *.
*ksl.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does ksl.com assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
