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Tooele • At first, Dale Beckstead was none too pleased with his neighbor's incessant pounding on the door late Tuesday night. Then he turned around and saw the massive fire barreling toward him.
Hours later, he stood across the street and watched as backhoes removed what remained of his Tooele home of 17 years. The only thing he had left, he said, was the outfit he'd assembled as he scrambled to get out of the house — a T-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes. He hadn't had time to put on socks.
Beckstead's was one of at least seven homes razed by the blaze, which damaged at least 23 others, according to the Red Cross.
The fire appears to have started in the south side of a field on 700 South and Coleman Street at about 10:30 p.m. Hot, dry conditions and a 30 mph canyon wind propelled the flames northwest across the field and into the neighborhood.
Based on evidence discovered the morning after the fire, police and the state fire marshal are investigating the incident as an arson, according to Tanya Turnbow, public information officer for the Tooele City Police Department. No arrests had been made as of Wednesday evening, but Tooele police were looking for 24-year-old Jesse Barger, who Turnbow said was not a suspect but may have information related to the investigation.
All residents were safely evacuated from the area. Tooele Fire Department spokesman Chris Shubert said no serious injuries were reported, though three firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation.
Turnbow, a 10-year veteran of police work, said the fire was the worst she has ever seen.
"This is just devastating," she said. "It's devastating to those residents; it's devastating to that neighborhood, and it's devastating to our entire community."
The fire scarred an estimated 30 acres of grass and sagebrush along with several outbuildings and vehicles. Eyewitnesses said the blaze burned hot and fast, leveling a half-dozen homes in a matter of minutes.
"It was as bright as daylight, and as hot as the hottest day you've seen," said Wyatt Fuell, 19.
"In maybe 10 minutes, the whole block was gone," added Jeff Fuell, his father.
The Fuell family's home, located on the north side of Van Dyke Way, survived the blaze — which Jeff Fuell attributed to the fact that he had been running his sprinklers the night before, and that he'd remained behind to defend his home with a hose despite the evacuation order. He said he'd had some first responder and firefighting training when he worked at the Tooele Army Depot.
Just across the street to the south, the home of his brother-in-law, Dale Beckstead, was a total loss, Jeff Fuell's incessant pounding having propelled the family from the house in the nick of time.
Jeff Fuell said he knocked on doors as far down the block as he could get. At one home, he said, he had to break the door down to alert the family inside.
The morning after, residents returned to pick through the rubble. Some discovered good news. When Martha Azbury evacuated Tuesday night, she said, she looked at the wind and the fire and figured her house was gone.
"All I did was sit on my son's porch and pray," she said, until she received word at about 2:30 a.m. that her home, located on the north side of Van Dyke Way, was safe.
Many of the homes on the south side of the street were reduced to a driveway, foundation and charred rubble.
At Ken Hein's parents' home, only a large decorative piece of petrified wood remained, somehow unscathed. Hein was there to stand guard against the "scavengers" who had already found the neighborhood, he said, and to look for some of his parents' prized possessions, while his sister drove the couple into town to replace their driver licenses.
There were several mobile homes in the neighborhood, but Hein said that most residents, including his parents, owned their lots and had strong connections to the community.
Azbury, Beckstead and Hein's parents can stay with family members who live in Tooele for the time being. But sheltering other displaced residents is expected to be a challenge, said Christy Johnson, a homeless youth coordinator for the Tooele County School District.
Tooele County does not have a homeless shelter, she said, and because the Red Cross does not assist with longer-term housing needs, displaced residents with fewer local ties are left with no place to go.
The Red Cross has set up a temporary shelter at West Elementary School a few blocks northwest of Van Dyke Way. As of Wednesday morning, 28 residents were registered to stay at the shelter, though Johnson said just 10 or so planned to stay overnight.
Turnbow said the Red Cross shelter has already received more material donations that it can distribute. There is a need for cash donations that can be used to secure rental units for the displaced residents, Johnson said.
Even for those with family in the immediate area, the future is unclear. Beckstead said his insurance was talking about bringing in a contractor to rebuild his home, but he wasn't sure what to do in the interim.
"I don't want to be living in a hotel room for a year," he said.
Twitter: @EmaPen —
Tooele fire
Investigation • Anyone who may have seen a suspicious person or activity in the field where the fire began, about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, is asked to call public safety dispatchers at 435-882-5600.
Donations • The Red Cross has already received more material donations than it can distribute. But many of the 40 displaced residents need assistance with housing; monetary donations may be made to the Tooele Fire Relief Fund at any Zions Bank.