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Firefighters are still keeping an eye on the Corner Canyon fire in the mountains above Draper. The flames are no longer threatening homes, but officials say residents in the area now have another concern: mudslides.
Whenever a fire on a steep slope wipes out vegetation, it always creates the potential for massive mudslides. In Draper, there are a number of homes along the base of the mountains, and both officials and residents are concerned.
In just one day, dry conditions and fast-moving winds helped a fire in the mountains above Draper blacken about 800 acres.
Draper resident Cindee Stone said, "I have a trailer, and we filled that up. We just were ready, ready to leave."
Tuesday, crews continued to work on hot spots, but the damage to vegetation had already been done. Dick Buehler, with the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, said, "This is probably the most concerning time of year to have a fire like this. The major concern we have again is mud flow due to precipitation."
And Utah has seen its fair share of devastating mudslides. One in Santaquin in 2002 damaged dozens of homes; the cleanup costs were in the millions. It was a fire that stripped the landscape there, similar to the situation in Draper.
Draper resident Shellee Mariluch said, "I think it will definitely be a concern this next spring; it will be something we will have to definitely watch for because most of the protective vegetation is gone."
And residents there have already dealt with slide and flood problems. Shawn Stone told us, "When that storm came through, it washed down the side of the mountain into our basement."
Experts say federal, state and local teams are already assessing the risk, and as soon as the fire is completely out, decisions will be made to protect Draper residents.
"It depends a lot on Mother Nature. We can go another several months with very little precipitation at all," Buehler said.
State officials say the vegetation will eventually grow back. In the meantime, there are several things that can be done, ranging from re-seeding vegetation to building trenches. Funding and resources are available for those projects.
E-mail: wjohnson@ksl.com
