There are countless communities across America’s West that have been spared from the ravages of wildfire thanks to the men and women who make such pandemonium their business to extinguish.
Recently in Tooele County, it was the tiny hamlet of Terra on the west side of Johnson’s Pass that was saved from total destruction during the 31,000-acre Patch Springs Wildfire last August.
Now it’s Stockton’s turn to feel a deep sense of gratitude.
Last Wednesday afternoon, an arson-caused wildfire swept down from the foothills east of Stockton and quickly engulfed tinder-dry fields of grass, sagebrush and juniper trees. Driven by a brisk north wind, and fed by highly combustible fuel, the wildfire moved hurriedly toward the south. But erratic winds from the east also pushed flames to the west. In the flame’s path were homes on Stockton’s east side.
Yet amazingly, even miraculously, none of those homes were lost. The flames were stopped or controlled due to the tactical efforts on the ground and in the air by approximately 100 firefighters from six agencies, and one helicopter and two single-engine air tankers that dropped aerial retardant.
The firefighters were also helped by residents. For example, the fire briefly jumped Silver Avenue north of Stockton’s town park, but alert residents immediately put it out, stopping the wildfire from taking a trajectory into nearby homes and the park. As one fire official suggested, if residents hadn’t been there, the fire’s complexity would have increased significantly.
Although a couple of sheds and a barn were destroyed, and the town’s main water tank was seriously damaged, homes that were in the line of fire reportedly were damaged by heat and smoke — but weren’t burned to the ground. In result, countless personal possessions — like the irreplaceable family photo album — didn’t go up in flames.
Firefighters from the Stockton Fire Department, Tooele City Fire Department, North Tooele County Fire Department, Rush Valley Fire Department, Tooele Army Depot Fire Department, the Bureau of Land Management, and the aerial firefighting company, are praised and thanked for a job spectacularly done.
And they are joined by Tooele County Fire Warden Tom Wilson, and Bucky Whitehouse, Tooele County emergency services director and assistant fire chief for the Tooele City Fire Department. Both men served as incident commanders during the wildfire, coordinating the multiple agencies into an effective unit.
Without everyone’s fast and strategic response, the wildfire could have taken lives and destroyed a major portion of Stockton. A major calamity was certainly averted. Clearly, Tooele County is fortunate to have such highly-trained and well-equipped firefighters ready to serve.
But the commendation and gratitude doesn’t end there. Before the wildfire was contained by Wednesday evening, volunteers stepped forward to help evacuees, and distribute drinking water for more than two days while the town’s water system was cleared of contamination. Organizations and businesses also provided assistance and supplies to help ease residents’ burdens caused by the wildfire.
In an interview late Sunday night, a weary Stockton Mayor Mark Whitney said that he has a lot of people to thank over the next week. He said he wants them to know of the difference they made, and from the bottom of his heart, he thanks them all for leaving such a positive, indelible impact on Stockton.
So do we.