When the rest of Pine Valley, Utah, evacuated because of the Forsyth Fire, Larry Gardner stayed behind.
As he spoke with KUER Monday afternoon, a helicopter dipped a bucket into his backyard pond to get water to fight the wildfire — which had grown to 7,045 acres that morning. Firefighters are working to secure the area, but they say it could still grow. So far, 13 homes have been destroyed, according to officials. And Pine Valley and nearby Grass Valley are under evacuation orders.
“I'm grateful I haven't lost my home, but I feel so bad for the 13 friends that have lost theirs,” he said.
Gardner has lived here for 75 years and stayed behind to help as his pond was being used for firefighting efforts, and he had cattle to take care of. He said he’s also been working to save homes.
In one subdivision, they worked all night to stave off the fire.
“Some of the ponderosa pine were 80 feet tall, and the flames were all of that plus another height of the tree, so that'd be like 200 feet tall. Waves of flame coming down was pretty ominous,” he recalled.
Gardner’s ancestors settled Pine Valley — he said his grandkids would be the seventh generation.
“This has been a jewel in southern Utah, actually, all of Utah, as far as a little oasis in the desert. And so it's been a wonderful oasis, not just for us and our family, but for so many others who have ancestral heritage here,” he said. “And to see it burn, it's heartbreaking. It'll take a generation, at least, to come back.”
One structure that people have been worried about is the town’s historic Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Pine Valley Chapel. It was built in 1868 by Latter-day Saint pioneers, and it’s in the National Register of Historic Places.
“I always joke about it being the Pine Valley temple because to me, a lot of spiritual experiences that built my faith took place in this building, and there's a lot of heritage,” he said.
His ancestors helped build it. The chapel is safe for now — it’s in the middle of town and the fire is on the perimeter, Gardner said.
Pine Valley helped build the LDS Church in other parts of the state, too. The lumber for the St. George Tabernacle and St. George Temple came from there.
“The organ pipes for the Salt Lake tabernacle were actually cut by my great-great-grandfather, Robert Gardner, and hauled 300 miles by wagon,” he said. “The ponderosa pine in Pine Valley made the better sound.”
As for what happens after the fire, Gardner believes the community will move forward because it’s tight-knit, and they can draw on their pioneer heritage.
“The people that settled this place had a lot of get up and go, a lot of fortitude, a lot of courage, a lot of sacrifice,” he said. “They had a lot more hardships than we have had.”
