Iron Fire evacuees cleared to return home in Eureka

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Eureka evacuees can return home Thursday at noon after the Iron Fire.
The fire burned over 37,000 acres with no homes lost but RV damage.
Officials warn of potential fire risks; residents remain on level 2 advisory.

SANTAQUIN — Hundreds of Eureka residents displaced by the fast‑moving Iron Fire will be allowed to return home Thursday at noon, officials announced during a community meeting in Santaquin Wednesday night.

The wildfire has burned more than 37,000 acres, and while crews say they don't believe any homes were lost, they are still working to assess damage to RV homes and properties in remote areas outside of Eureka.

Residents, many of whom fled after evacuation orders were issued on Saturday evening, described a mix of relief, anxiety and gratitude as they prepared to return.

What officials told residents

Todd Murray, incident commander of Great Basin Team 3, said firefighters were battling flames "right next to residences," underscoring how close the fire came to the town.

He warned that while structures appear to have been saved, the intense heat may have left its mark.

"There could be some damage for sure. The amount of heat right next to a lot of them definitely impacts those residences," Murray said.

Containment remains at 17%, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Officials emphasized that the community is still under a "be set" advisory, meaning they need to be prepared to "evacuate at a moment's notice," with weekend weather expected to create volatile fire conditions.

Residents prepare to go home

For some evacuees, the announcement came sooner than expected.

Eureka business owner Laura Kirgan, owner of Fill-R-Up gas station, said she was surprised to hear they'd be allowed back Thursday.

"Honestly, I didn't think they'd let us go home until Friday."

Kirgan evacuated Saturday and still doesn't know what she'll find when she returns.

"I don't know what's left, what's been destroyed."

Despite the uncertainty, she said the outpouring of support from strangers has been overwhelming.

"The outpouring of love from the community and people I don't even know reaching out and saying, 'Do you need a place to stay?' It's overwhelming. It gives you cold chills and makes you feel really loved," Kirgan said.

Kirgan said the emotional toll of the evacuation has been heavy, but she's grateful for the emergency responders, EMS, police and firefighters who protected the town.

Expected weather conditions for the areas of the Iron Fire are shown at a Wednesday community meeting. (Photo: Garna Mejia, KSL)

"I'm just glad everyone's safe and everyone's homes are safe. I feel bad for the people that have lost things for sure," Kirgan said.

Another resident, Travis Clark, who works at Charlie D's Heavy Equipment and Auto Repair, said he's eager to get back to work after being forced to shut down Saturday.

"We hopefully will be able to return tomorrow."

What comes next

Officials also said that gas lines were turned off and still need to be restored.

Burn areas for the region of the Iron Fire are shown on a map at a community meeting Wednesday. (Photo: Garna Mejia, KSL)

Enbridge Gas representatives will be at the Tintic High School, 525 E. Main St., in Eureka, Thursday to answer any questions residents may have.

Fire officials urged residents to stay alert as they return home. Changing weather could quickly shift fire behavior, and crews will remain in the area to strengthen containment lines.

Photos

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.