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HERRIMAN — As the weather heats up over the next few days, wildfire risk will grow in many Utah neighborhoods. More than 400 communities across the state are listed as "at risk" for wildfires.
Other communities burned by devastating fires in recent years also worry about flooding from thunderstorms because of the burn scars. Herriman city engineer Jory Howell said he worries about debris flows on the two burn scars left behind by recent wildfires.
"You're a little bit nervous, you wonder how things are going to fare," he said.
The Machine Gun Fire destroyed three homes and burned more than 4,000 acres in the hills above Herriman in September of 2010. The smaller Rosecrest Fire destroyed four homes and burned more than 600 acres of land in June of 2010. Both fires left giant burn scars that would only serve as a guide for water and mud to pour into neighborhoods below.
But Howell worries a little less now that Herriman has teamed up with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to stabilize the hillside and slow down debris flow.
They re-seeded the slopes and built silt fences and debris basins "designed to catch the unwanted flows and the materials that are gonna come with it off of a burn," Howell said.
Dozens of steep areas statewide that burned within the last three years are at risk this year. That's why Richard Giraud, with the Utah Geological Survey, says slope rehabilitation is critical.
"Any steep slope within a burn area can generate flash floods or debris," he said.
The silt fences and debris basins would certainly make a difference in a big rainstorm, but the people down below should not get complacent, either. There are storms in Utah that could overwhelm these structures.
"Be alert. Pay attention to the weather," Giraud said.
As for future fires, areas that have not yet greened up are already at risk. About 350 to 400 communities across the state where neighborhoods meet the wilderness are also risky areas.
Among those areas, about 200 have community wildfire protection plans — cities like Herriman that work with homeowners to reduce the risk.
Jason Curry, spokesman for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, is also advising Utahns to remember that early-season fires are usually human-caused.
