Comore Loma homeowners speak up after fire scare
The Idaho Falls Fire Department and supporting agencies successfully contained the East Bench Fire near Bonneville County early Friday morning, but its close proximity to the Comore Loma area left residents uneasy.
After recent boil orders and past problems with water pressure, homeowner Rick Evans said he was a little worried as flames drew near to his home.
“I certainly wasn’t sure if we could put it out, that’s the fear. Is there going to be water in the hydrants,” he said.
Evans said the Comore Loma Water Coalition is run by part-time volunteers, he was also one for a short period of time. He said he began to worry after members of the coalition asked residents to turn off their sprinklers to conserve water in the storage preserve.
“I wondered ‘Are we in the fire reserve now? Are we not in the fire reserve?’ There were lots of questions,” said Evans.
Although coalition representatives were unavailable for comment, Idaho Falls Fire Department Interim Fire Chief Duane Nelson said firefighters weren’t concerned as they used hydrants in that area to keep the fire from spreading to homes.
“Those hydrants will flow approximately 500 gallons per minute and they could kick on additional pumps if necessary for fire protection, if needed,” he said. “We had no worries about water pressure in the Comore Loma area for fire protection and we still don’t have any worries.”
Evans said he would have a better peace of mind if the water coalition acted as a full-time water utility, but the expenses of that has been an issue in the past.
