South Jordan • After watching a third house burn in the distance, Gina and Brian Peterson hurried Sunday to rescue their 14 horses and six dogs from the Herriman tinderbox.

Rolling down Rose Canyon Road, the family got word that Butterfield Park was the best horse refuge. That didn't last long.

"It was so smoky and so congested," Gina Peterson said Monday, noting the threatening flames forced horse owners to find a plan B.

They found sanctuary a few miles away in the safety of the show stalls at the Salt Lake County Equestrian Park. Steadily, from 9:45 p.m.Sunday until 4:30 a.m. Monday, horse trailers snaked out of the canyon into the South Jordan facility at 2051 W. 11400 South.

"It was great for them to open up for us overnight," Peterson said. "We just couldn't handle that smoke."

So the Petersons took their horses to Misty Farms in Sandy, then joined the handful of horse owners who slept in their trucks in the equestrian park's lot.

"I don't know if you could call it sleeping," evacuee Nick Nelson said. "We were up watching the fire."

In all, 80 horses remain housed at the equestrian park Monday afternoon, according to Salt Lake County Animal Services Division Coordinator Carrie Hecht, who camped there overnight.

Hecht estimates there are hundreds of horse properties in the burn area, meaning scores of large animals either went elsewhere or remain unaccounted for. That includes the emus, sheep and other animals from Ching Farm. Dogs, cats, birds and other pets were allowed to stay at Herriman High.

Nancy McGahey had to get creative to get her two female burros out of the fire zone near Shaggy Mountain. Late Sunday, she hooked up the burros to a purple nylon strap on the back bumper of her 2003 Toyota Prius and began slowly driving.

"I thought that down the hill they would have a place where we could leave the animals for a while," McGahey said as a stable hand fed the burros apples. "I didn't realize how extensive the evacuation was."

A sheriff's deputy saw the makeshift tow and arranged a trailer to finish the job. Once the animals were secure — at 4 a.m. — McGahey caught some sleep at Herriman High.

But Tom Baker, who slept in his Dodge Ram with dog Lakota, looked worse off hours after securing his two horses at the stable.

"It was pretty scary there for a while," said Baker, who didn't evacuate until 1 a.m. Monday and was glued to his truck radio for updates. "If it ever got into those juniper trees, there would have been no stopping it. When they get hot, they explode."

By midday Monday, horse owners still were awaiting word on when they could return. A second night spent in the dusty parking lot appeared likely.

But the horses have plenty of room. More than 300 open stalls remained available, according to Corey Bullock, program manager at the equestrian park. And since there is no horse show this weekend, he said, they can stay 12 more days.

Because of the unusual volume of horses, security at the stables was nearly as thick as the smoke. A sheriff's SUV guarded the entrance. Bureau of Land Management officials checked that all animals were properly titled. And livestock inspectors checked papers to ensure no horses were "claimed" by opportunists.

All the while, horse owners — some with small kids — remained camped in their trucks watching the white plume permeate their neighborhoods. Their only amenities: a random Port-a-Potty. But these hardscrabble horse lovers weren't going home until they had all their "family" in tow.

djensen@sltrib.com