Firefighters battled a spectacular blaze on the side of Mount Olympus late Saturday, unsure what had caused flames that spread quickly up the mountain.
Officials said none of the expensive homes nearby was threatened by the fire, which was visible from much of the Salt Lake Valley. However, the blaze, which covered about 40 acres, was expected to burn throughout the night and fire officials were keeping a wary eye on winds."It (the fire) is in an area where they are hesitant to do a whole lot during the night," said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Dick Kline, referring to thick brush in the area that would hamper firefighters. "I can guarantee it will still be burning in the morning."
Kline said the cause of the fire was unknown, although it appeared the blaze was man-caused. However, no one was reported trapped on the mountain.
Several witnesses said they saw the fire start shortly before 9 p.m. One woman said she saw what she believed to be an airplane crash into the mountain. However, Federal Aviation Administration officials said at 9:45 p.m. they had received no reports of a crash.
Fire officials said other people reported seeing fireworks launched in the direction of the mountain before the fire started.
Linda Kronstadt-Roylance, a resident near 5000 South and 2400 East, said she was watching the mountain when the fire started and was confused by what she saw.
"I saw a red object. It went down and I thought, `Oh my gosh, that thing crashed,' " she said, adding she was uncertain what the object was. "It was dark. I kind of dismissed it, but a few minutes later I saw the mountain was on fire."
Several people called the Deseret News to report the fire, including some from as far west as Taylorsville. One man described the fire as a giant "O."
"Because it's dark, the fire looks a lot bigger than it is," Kline said.
Firefighters from Salt Lake City Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service were called to the scene. The fire appeared to be even with 4500 South, officials said.