SALT LAKE CITY — The National Fire Prevention Association dedicates this week, Oct. 6-12, to raising awareness about fire prevention. Utah first responders are also asking people to be cautious as we head into another warm, dry week.
“We’re at 280 acres which is actually spread out over an incline and a pretty steep environment,” said Jon Smith, a public information officer for North Tooele Fire District.
Saturday afternoon, the North Tooele Fire District got the call to a wildfire on the west side of the Oquirrh Mountain range.
“No structures were threatened, no evacuations were issued, but it was really, really dry conditions and we’ve been dealing with record high temperatures — not just for the month of August, but really all summer long. We’ve had extended periods without rain,” said Smith.
The cause is still under investigation, but Smith said it was human-caused. He said they hope to have the fire contained by Monday morning.
This is not the only wildfire the North Tooele Fire District is battling.
“We do work with other agencies, and the Yellow Lake Fire is of course a much bigger event," Smith said. "People have this misnomer that fire season is over when the summer months have passed, and nothing could be further from the truth. September and October are very busy fire months."
As of Sunday evening, the Yellow Lake Fire in eastern Wasatch County had grown to more than 15,000 acres, with more than 450 personnel on the ground.
"We do still have hotter than normal temperatures, 15° above average. The winds are still variable and up to 10 to 15 mph,” said Brian Trick, the public information officer for the Yellow Lake Fire.
Emergency crews are asking residents and recreators in certain areas to leave for their own safety.
“The West Fork of the Duchesne River, as well as the North Rork, are under a mandatory evacuation. The Granddaddy Lakes area is under a ready order, as well as the town of Hanna,” said Trick.
While officials are still looking into what caused the Yellow Lake Fire and the West Oquirrh Fire, they believe they were both caused by people.
“We also understand it’s very cold at night, and so if you’re a recreator or are a hunter and you are not in a closure order or an evacuated area and you are just recreating, campfires are permitted," Trick said. "But it’s that idea: make sure it’s dead out, so cold to the touch."
Officials say fire season is not over, so the Utahns need to always be mindful.
"As we saw the last two days, we had some explosive fire growth and it would just be very difficult to track folks," Trick said. "It’s for their safety as well as firefighters and law enforcement officers who might have to go find them and help them."
