Thunderstorms unleash flash flood down Mellor Wash causing serious damage to several Fayette homes

FAYETTE—Heavy thunderstorms unleashed flash flooding across central Utah on Thursday, July 16, washing debris onto highways, damaging homes in Fayette and prompting emergency responses across the region.

State Route 28 near Fayette was temporarily closed after floodwaters and mud covered the roadway. Crews with the Utah Department of Transportation cleared the debris, and the highway reopened once conditions improved.

State Route 89 also experienced flooding near Beaver Creek south of Fairview, where emergency crews responded to assess conditions and remove debris from the roadway.

The Sanpete County Commission approved a disaster declaration July 21 in response to flooding in Fayette, taking a formal step to support emergency response and recovery efforts. Declaring a state of emergency gives local and state governments additional authority to take actions necessary to protect public safety and speed recovery from the flooding. The declaration also allows the county to seek state and federal assistance, including eligibility to apply for emergency funding and disaster recovery programs if available.

In Fayette, Town Clerk Tyson Holyoak said the flooding began after a powerful cloudburst in Mellor’s Canyon east of town.

“There was some pretty heavy rainfall, a cloudburst, up Mellor’s Canyon,” Holyoak said. “There’s a wash in the canyon that comes out north of the cemetery.”

Holyoak said the runoff flowed through the wash north of the cemetery before spreading into town. Although large amounts of water passed through the area, he said the cemetery itself escaped damage.

“The cemetery was unscathed,” he said.

According to Holyoak, floodwaters traveled primarily along 100 and 300 South before converging on Main Street, where some of the most severe damage occurred.

“The water mostly came down 100 and 300 South and converged on Main Street,” he said.

Holyoak said six homes on Main Street sustained significant damage, while two additional homes on 100 North were heavily impacted.

“Six houses had quite a bit of damage. Most were right down Main Street,” he said. “There were two on 100 North, pretty bad ones there.”

Sanpete County Commissioner and Fayette resident Scott Bartholomew said he had no idea the storm had struck until his wife called.

“My wife called and said, ‘You need to come home. We’re flooding,'” Bartholomew said. “I just laughed and told her there weren’t any clouds in the sky. I said, ‘We’re high up on the hill. We can’t be flooding. Don’t worry about it.'”

A second phone call from his son changed everything.

“A couple of hours later, my son called and said, ‘You really need to get home,'” he said. “By then, there was a stream of water running in front of my house. The only thing that kept water out of my basement was that my son grabbed the loader, dumped loads of dirt in front of my driveway and lawn, and then they put sandbags in front of it. That saved my house. Some of the neighbors weren’t as fortunate and their homes were flooded.”

As the floodwaters spread, Holyoak said town officials immediately shifted into emergency response mode and have remained focused on recovery ever since.

“I’ve been right there with the mayor, 24-7,” Holyoak said. “We’ve been going since Thursday.”

He said much of the recovery has depended on neighbors helping neighbors. One evening, he spent four hours helping a resident remove water from her home.

“I was at a lady’s house one night with a generator-driven pump, pumping water out of her house for four hours,” he said.

Bartholomew said the disaster quickly united emergency responders, county crews and volunteers from throughout the Gunnison Valley.

“We’ve got a fabulous community here,” he said. “My son is in the fire department, and he got word out that we needed help. That brought not only Gunnison’s fire department, but also Sterling’s and Manti’s. They all came down to fill sandbags and do whatever they could.”

County crews brought in equipment and resources, while volunteers, including members of a local football team, helped residents fill sandbags and protect homes.

“The county came in with the resources we needed and helped every way they could,” Bartholomew said. “My other son is one of the football coaches, and he told the team they were doing weight training, so they came over and helped fill sandbags. It didn’t matter who you were, everybody came out to help.”

Holyoak said local farmers also played a vital role by bringing tractors and heavy equipment to clear roads and construct berms to divert water.

“There’s been all sorts of equipment,” Holyoak said. “The farmers have got their tractors out and have been trying to clear the roads and build up some berms on both sides.”

Bartholomew echoed that assessment, saying many farmers immediately put their own machinery to work.

“All of us farmers have tractors and loaders, so there were several loaders going around town helping wherever they could,” he said. “It was really something to see the response.”

Both Holyoak and Bartholomew said the flooding highlighted the strength of the community as residents, volunteers and emergency responders worked side by side to protect homes and assist neighbors.

The storms also produced deadly consequences elsewhere in central Utah.

In neighboring Wayne County, deputies responded to the Sunglow Campground near Bicknell on the evening of July 17 after receiving reports of an emergency. According to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, deputies discovered the body of a man in a nearby wash, prompting a search-and-rescue operation. Investigators said a family had arrived earlier that day to hike in the area. Search crews later located the bodies of two additional males that evening and two more victims the following day, concluding the search.

Although skies have cleared, the National Weather Service continues to urge motorists to use caution as saturated ground, lingering debris and the potential for additional rainfall could still create hazardous travel conditions across central Utah.