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Dump Fire Evacuees return home

Thousands of Utah residents were able to return home on Saturday after a massive wildfire whipped through Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain last week. The fire began on Thursday and scorched more than 6,000 acres of land, coming dangerously close to homes but none were damaged. About 588 homes were evacuated Friday, but residents were able to return Saturday evening. Officials had determined a shift in wind pushed the fire back on itself. Steve Layton says the flames were about 100 yards from his home in Saratoga Springs when he evacuated.

"It was after the evacuation order and I’m looking at the flames and they had grown back up to 50 foot and they were moving real close and really fast, that you know, it looked real, it was going to happen," he says.

Residents have been asked to stay alert in case the blaze moves back toward the homes. Nick Loveless is a firefighter with the Boise District  office of the Bureau of Land Management. He says the most difficult part about fighting the fire is the rough terrain and the weather.                                                                       

“It’s just been really hot," Loveless says. "Upper 90’s. It doesn’t take much for something to ignite and take off on us. These winds kicking up 20 plus miles per hour all day, blowing on us. That doesn’t help at all.”

The Dump Fire is the 20th blaze this year in Utah sparked by target shooters. By Sunday afternoon the fire was forty percent contained.

 

Whittney Evans grew up southern Ohio and has worked in public radio since 2005. She has a communications degree from Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, where she learned the ropes of reporting, producing and hosting. Whittney moved to Utah in 2009 where she became a reporter, producer and morning host at KCPW. Her reporting ranges from the hyper-local issues affecting Salt Lake City residents, to state-wide issues of national interest. Outside of work, she enjoys playing the guitar and getting to know the breathtaking landscape of the Mountain West.
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