Here’s why dozens of North Ogden residents are out of their homes, as Willard Peak Fire burns

More than 150 families remained away from their North Ogden homes on Thursday, displaced overnight because of a wildfire.

No homes have been lost in the Willard Peak Fire, according to a Thursday afternoon update on the Utah Fire Info‘s X account.

As of about 5 p.m. Thursday afternoon, Utah Fire Info reported the 754-acre fire remained 0% contained and evacuations were still in place. Throughout much of the day Thursday, white pillars of smoke could be seen and smelled in the area.

Utah Type 3 Incident Management Team 3 is now in command, the update said.

North Ogden City, on its Facebook account, said there was a standing evacuation order for residents east of 1050 East between 2850 North and 3700 North.

Missy Birkholz, who lives near 3300 North and 1230 East, said she was working from home Wednesday when the fire broke out. She said she heard a few sirens, but didn’t know about the blaze until she started receiving calls.

Her green backyard meets a hill that blocked her view of the flames, but she took it as a good sign when air support stopped helping in the efforts Wednesday. She later learned the aircraft were grounded because of high winds.

Those winds picked up, she said, and within 20 minutes flames made their way over the top of the hill, burning through sage and approaching her backyard.

Her husband, she said, was driving up the hill and saw it approaching, warning them to get out.

Birkholz said she and her two kids rushed to finish preparing to evacuate — coaxing her neighbor’s visiting cat out from under a bed — and fled, watching the flames behind their house.

“It was a fast approach down to our house,” she said.

As they drove away, she said she thought she was about to lose her house. Her son said he remembered her crying.

Birkholz returned her neighbor’s cat Thursday at about 11 a.m., and evaluated her lawn.

The field was blackened, the pines that line her yard were brown and a trailer’s wheel sitting at the edge of the lawn was missing a tire. But her house is OK.

“God bless those firefighters,” she said.

Kirsti Dunn, who was managing the Red Cross shelter manager at a Pleasant View meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said about 10 people — along with their dogs and cats — have utilized the shelter.

“We’re planning to stay open as long as we’re needed here and make sure that our clients are safe and secure and have what they need,” she said.

One evacuee, Eamonn Bent, was walking his Mini Aussie, Tali, around the church’s lawn Thursday morning.

He said he was at work when the evacuation order came through, and he suddenly faced the stress of knowing Tali was at home.

Bent lives with his parents, who were out of town, and left work early. He said he coordinated with his parents to make sure he took everything he needed — including Tali.

“It was a little stressful working and knowing she was at home,” he said.

Utah Fire Info reported the Willard Peak Fire started around 3 p.m. Wednesday, stemming from a vehicle fire. The name, assigned by fire officials, is a misnomer: The fire is not on Willard Peak, but a few miles south on Chilly Peak.

Officials in North Ogden City posted an all-caps message on the city’s Facebook page Thursday morning, warning that “THE WILLARD PEAK FIRE IS SERIOUS.”

Eventually, the city’s social-media person turned off the caps-lock key to deliver this message of community support: “Whether you’re on the front lines, helping neighbors, or just trying to make sense of what’s going on, please remember, kindness matters. A lot.”