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John Hollenhorst ReportingA tiny town in Skull Valley is on alert after a wildfire caused quite a scare last night. Firefighters are optimistic, but unpredictable winds remain a concern.
The town of Terra has something to worry about--thick vegetation, in this case crusted wheat grass. It's turning brown in the summer heat near 30 or so homes there. It's potential fuel for a fire that errupted suddenly.
It was air power that helped turn the tide. The drops of chemicals and water helped bulldozers and ground crews shore up containment lines in key areas.
Erin Darboven, Utah Bureau of Land Management: "We have it 50 percent contained, at this time. It gave us a scare for a little bit."
That scare came late yesterday when lightning triggered the blaze.
Ben Blair of Terra we spoke with climbed up on his roof for a better look. He did it again today with the blaze still several miles away. At its peak, he said flames were erupting at least 20 feet high.
Ben Blair: "I knew with wind direction, it wasn't a threat to us yesterday, but I'm concerned about the wind shift we've had."
Those shifty winds are the biggest concern. Crews were able to close off the fire on two sides, but if the winds were to change unexpectedly in the wrong direction, it would renew the threat to Terra.
Sunny Deuel has seen a lot of fires come and go in the last half century, and this one in the distance doesn't worry him.
Sunn Deuel, Terra Resident: "They've got too much control coming with it. It's just not typical to worry about at this point. It's too far down."
Because of Terra's vulnerability to wildfire, the town recently developed a fire preparedness plan.
Erin Darboven: "Wildfires in the west are kind of like the hurricanes we hear about in the southeast. They're a natural disaster, they'll come what may, and we need to be prepared in the event of one."
Officials are optimistic they can have the fire completely contained by about midnight. Officially, though, the town is still considered threatened; that means residents are on alert, ready to evacuate if the fire does turn out to be a serious threat.
