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Utah County Sheriff's Office deputies, firefighters from Unified Fire Authority and the Saratoga Springs fire department are honored for their response to a recent condominium fire at the Eagle Mountain City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025.

Courtesy Eagle Mountain City

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First responders are honored for their response to a recent condominium fire at the Eagle Mountain City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025.

Courtesy Eagle Mountain City

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First responders are honored for their response to a recent condominium fire at the Eagle Mountain City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025.

Courtesy Eagle Mountain City

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First responders are honored for their response to a recent condominium fire at the Eagle Mountain City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025.

Courtesy Eagle Mountain City

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First responders are honored for their response to a recent condominium fire at the Eagle Mountain City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025.

Courtesy Eagle Mountain City

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In the aftermath of a fire that torched an Eagle Mountain condominium building last month and left more than a dozen families displaced, the city is now honoring the first responders for their heroic actions in battling the blaze.

As the Daily Herald previously reported, in the early morning hours of Aug. 26 portions of the Willow Springs Condominiums were overtaken by a cloud of smoke and large heavy flames.

Multiple agencies — including the Utah County Sheriff’s Office Eagle Mountain division, Unified Fire Authority and Saratoga Springs Fire Department — all responded to the burning complex, according to city officials.

Thirteen units had to be evacuated, including one where a man was trapped inside a bedroom. Crews were able to rescue him just before flames spread to his unit, a Unified Fire Authority spokesperson said at the time.

During Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, Eagle Mountain recognized the responding deputies, firefighters and a resident who assisted in alerting neighbors of the danger for their bravery that morning.

“It was a very stressful situation, and time was of the essence,” said Dave Ulibarri, Eagle Mountain’s public safety director.

Body camera footage shared by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office earlier this month shows officers approaching the complex, as flames that could be seen from miles away towered over the structure. Officers are seen in the footage urgently knocking on multiple residents’  doors and ordering them to evacuate so crews could fight the fire.

Ulibarri said when the call for help went out, it was met with swift and professional action.

“These brave officer firefighters and paramedics displayed not only skill and coordination, but also deep compassion and commitment to the people of our city,” he said. “Their training, readiness and calm in the face of an emergency undoubtedly saved lives that day.”

Plaques were presented during the meeting to one sergeant and five deputies from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office Eagle Mountain division, a captain, an engineer, two paramedics and two firefighters from Unified Fire Authority, as well as  a captain, an engineer, two paramedics and two firefighters from the Saratoga Springs Fire Department.

Also recognized was Eagle Mountain resident Corbin White, who city officials said took it upon himself to run door to door and warn neighbors about the burning complex.

“Those precious seconds made a critical difference and exemplified the very best of what it means to be a member of this community,” said Ulibarri, regarding White’s actions.

White’s wife accepted the award on his behalf.

The celebratory portion of the City Council meeting also gave Porter Webster, the survivor who was rescued from his third-floor unit, another chance to thank the people who likely saved his life.

In a news release posted on the city’s website, Webster credited his rescue to first responders who found him in the midst of heavy smoke after he called 911.

On the night of the fire, Webster explained that he had closed his bedroom door to quiet the sound of crickets he bought for his pet lizard. He woke up around midnight to a thick wall of smoke, he stayed put due to a fear of heights and called for help instead of jumping, according to the release.

Webster said firefighters reached him just in time. He was transported to a nearby hospital for smoke inhalation and still has a lingering cough, the release said.

Other residents who were impacted by the Willow Springs Condominiums fire were also in attendance during the City Council meeting.

While acknowledging the devastation displaced residents have and may likely still be facing following last month’s fire,  Ulibarri said the honorary recognition serves as a token of appreciation for the selfless actions of first responders.

“This recognition is one way we can say thank you, but the real thanks comes every day when we remember the lives that were saved and the families who still have a home in this community,” he said.

As of Wednesday, fire officials had not revealed a cause for the incident.