SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah -- It’s been nearly two months since the Rockport 5 Fire destroyed homes and burned nearly 2,000 acres of Summit County, and many are still cleaning up the mess it left behind.
About a dozen volunteers came out to help Rockport Estates residents with some hard labor Saturday.
Resident Brenda Child said there was a lot of work to be done.
“It was a huge fire that left a lot of mess,” she said. “A lot of trees that were burnt to the black core of them that really need to be removed, so they aren’t such an eyesore on the mountain. So we’re just busy cutting them down and moving them to an area where they can be burned, completely.”
Child was lucky, she said the firefighters saved her home from 80-foot flames. Saturday, she was happy to help the community she’s now closer with since the blaze.
“It’s just great to be here and to be part of this, and meet your neighbors,” she said. “Everyone is working together to get it done.”
Nachi Fairbanks organized the cleanup to help elderly residents and others who don't have the ability or resources to cut and clear the charred vegetation, so, when spring comes, new trees and plants can take root and grow.
“When the reseeding takes place at the end of this month, the more we can take care of now the better the chance the seed has to taking root after," Fairbanks said. "... So when spring comes and our beautiful green grasses fill in, we don't have black sticks sticking out of it."
Saturday was the last organized cleanup, but there’s still more work to be done. Anyone interested in helping the Rockport community can call 801-971-1693.
