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This week's fire on the mountain above Draper is nearly out now, but residents' fears are just beginning.
Draper City officials are holding an emergency meeting tonight to address concerns related to the fire and what the future could bring. There's a sense of urgency with a storm expected this weekend.
Firefighters are finishing up their work on the mountain, but planning for the after effects of the fire is just beginning at Juan Diego High School in Draper. The threat of a mudslide is very real, and city leaders are putting together a plan to avoid any more damage.
Several neighborhoods are below where the fire burned on Monday afternoon. Specifically those people who live east of Highland Drive between Pioneer Road and the equestrian park are believed to be most in danger if there is a major weather event. Firefighters successfully protected all of the homes that were in the fire's path. But the burned vegetation on the steep mountain above dramatically increases the threat of runoff from a heavy rainstorm that could create a mudslide.
City officials are now addressing that threat, what can be done in the short term, and what it will take to rehabilitate the area.
Tonight experts from the state, the National Weather Service and the forest service will talk about what people can do to protect their property, as well as the warning signs of a weather-related event, such as flooding or a mudslide. The proposed plans to rehabilitate the mountain also will be discussed.
With rain in the forecast for Monday, a lot of people are attending the meeting tonight.
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
