A lightning-caused fire had burned more than 250 acres of spruce and fir by Tuesday morning near the east fork of the Bear River about 36 miles southeast of Evanston, Wyo.
Five 20-person crews were on the fire by 9 a.m. Two helicopters and two aerial tankers were to be dispatched to the blaze, which was spotted about 4:50 p.m. Monday, said Kathy Jo Pollock, public information officer for the Interagency Fire Center in Salt Lake City.The fire is located at least 10 miles south of the Wyoming border and several miles south of a Boy Scout Camp operated by the Great Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America.
Firefighting crews were using the camp as headquarters for their operations. The Scout camp is staffed with approximately 100 people.
The camp was not in danger. "Otherwise, everyone would have been evacuated. A lot of summer homes are located in that area, but the blaze is at least four miles away from any of the structures," Pollock said Tuesday morning.
She said the fire was started by lightning, which hit a tree and had been smoldering for at least a week. The fire is located in rough, steep terrain, hampering firefighting operations.
Fires in recent days have prompted fire restrictions that will be effective for the entire state Wednesday.
"Fire conditions are very dangerous. The potential for wildfire presents a very real threat to life and property. We're asking everyone to be particularly careful during the July Fourth holiday," said State Forester Ed Storey.
Storey, the state director of the Bureau of Land Management, the regional forester of the U.S. Forest Service and the regional director of the U.S. Park Service have ordered fire restrictions for all of Utah.
They say conditions are very dry and urged extreme caution because the fire season is four to six weeks ahead of normal conditions.
Officials say citizens should remember that the costs of fighting a fire and related damages become the responsibility of those who start it.
In southern Utah, four fires burned in and near Cedar City Monday, damaging buildings and leaving the city without electricity for several hours.
A storage shed fire in New Harmony was reported Monday at 12:18 p.m. The fire destroyed the shed and burned a pickup truck and camp trailer that were inside, causing an estimated $15,000 to $20,000 damage, said Cedar City Fire Chief Clint Nielson.The fire then spread to grass and brush along Pinto Road, burning 125 to 150 acres and threatening several homes before it was controlled by fire crews and a helicopter.
A brush fire west of the Cove subdivision in Cedar City was reported at 4:10 p.m. and was extinguished after burning 10 acres of brush. No buildings were threatened.
Lightning is blamed for a 6:50 p.m. fire Monday in Antelope Springs, northwest of Newcastle in Iron County, that burned 25 acres, Nielson said. No structures were damaged.
And about 8:30 p.m. Monday, two damaged power lines dropped on the northbound lanes of I-15, blocking traffic and cutting power to the north part of Cedar City until about 11 p.m. The arcing power lines started a fire that burned grass and brush behind storage sheds off the east side of the freeway. Nielson said the fire was quickly extinguished.
Two fires in Middle Fork Canyon near Huntsville were pretty well under control by Tuesday morning, according to Weber Fire District Battalion Chief Ken Dixon.
One fire in Browns Hole area had burned about 80 acres. Another fire near the base of the canyon had burned more than 350 acres.
Pollock said a blaze that was reported Sunday about 10 to 15 miles northwest of Brigham City had burned about 600 acres. Full containment is expected Tuesday evening or early Wednesday, Pollock said.
Crews were also still out on two other fires in western Utah.
One is the Chokecherry Flat fire in Tooele County, where about 1,000 acres of brush and other materials had burned by Tuesday morning. Control is expected by 8 p.m. Tuesday.
A fire that burned about 500 acres in Lower Middle Fork Canyon near Delle, Tooele County, was controlled at 8 p.m. Monday, Pollock said.
Meanwhile, a 185-acre fire in Dry Fork Canyon, northwest of Vernal in Ashley National Forest, has been controlled.
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Additional Information
Tightened fire restrictions start Wednesday
Fire restrictions have been tightened and will blanket public lands throughout Utah beginning Wednesday.
Restrictions announced at the end of last week excluded Daggett, Duchesne and Uintah counties. "Recent fire activity has made (restrictions) necessary for the Uintah Basin as well as the rest of the state," said State Forester Ed Storey. "We are particularly concerned as people travel to the mountains for the July Fourth holiday."
The restrictions will now cover all National Forest, Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and state lands in Utah.
The restriction prohibits open fires of any kind. Campfires are allowed only in fire pits in designated campground and picnic areas. Smoking is allowed only in vehicles, on boats on the water, in developed recreation sites, in residences or on paved roads. Fireworks of any kind are prohibited within restricted areas and are always prohibited within National Forest boundaries.