HENEFER -- Firefighters say it could take until the end of the week to tame the flames from a wildfire that blackened 3,000 acres east of this Summit County town.
It was estimated the Eagle Canyon blaze would be contained by 6 p.m. Monday, according Salt Lake Interagency Fire Center spokeswoman Kathy Jo Pollack. The fire was 60 percent contained Sunday evening after it came within 20 feet of two homes."It's in some really steep, tough terrain, and they won't call it controlled until they get a really good handle on it," Pollack said.
She said the fire was human-caused, possibly from a cigarette butt or car spark lofted into dry grass near I-84.
Air tankers dropped retardant to help combat the flames, and 120 people fought the fire burning in thick oak brush and sage on hillsides 27 miles northeast of Salt Lake City.
Their efforts were helped by milder weather conditions. Pollock said the humidity was up slightly, temperatures down and winds calm.
Meanwhile, a helicopter was diverted from the Eagle Canyon fire to attack a small blaze in Kimball Junction, near Park City.
The fire -- which was spotted by an airborne firefighter en route to the Henefer blaze -- covered only about 15 acres but threatened several structures about 1 1/2 miles from the Jeremy Ranch golf course.
Earlier Sunday, crews in Utah County were able to save eight cabins in West Canyon after a fire charred 1,200 acres at the mouth of the canyon, three miles away. Officials say if the fire moved into the canyon, firefighters may not have been able to save the cabins.
They also managed to protect two wheat fields valued at $1 million each.
The fire was 50 percent contained Sunday afternoon. It is expected to be contained by 6 p.m. Monday and controlled by 6 p.m. Wednesday.
"It's extremely steep and then with this pinyon juniper that's in most of the canyons its difficult to work in because it's so dense," said Loyal Clark, spokeswoman for the Uinta National Forest.
Three 20-person crews, two engines and a helicopter were fighting the Long Ridge Fire. One firefighter suffered from hypoglycemia while fighting the fire Sunday and was brought out of the canyon.
The fire is believed to have been caused by an abandoned campfire.