Lightning strikes set off new wildfires in Utah's western desert Tuesday and early Wednesday with the smoke contributing to the dense smog along the Wasatch Front.
Gov. Mike Leavitt asked the National Guard to assist in fighting wildfires throughout the state.
Interviewed at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, Leavitt said Wednesday morning that he has authorized the Utah National Guard to lend equipment and supplies to fight the fires. "The interagency task force can use our bulldozers, tankers and helicopters, and I've asked for up to 80 guardsmen to volunteer to help in the firefighting efforts," he said.
The convention ends Thursday night, and Leavitt said that so far, he has no plans to return early to Utah. "I'm getting hourly updates on the fire situation and as long as no homes are threatened then I will do what I need to do from here."
He said, however, that he has made tentative airline reservations to return if matters get worse.
They may well worsen, when new thunderstorms sweep through the state. That could happen as early as Wednesday night or Thursday.
"That was quite a (storm) complex that moved in last night," said William J. Alder, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service regional office on North Temple. Some rain fell, "though the ones in the West Deseret were mostly dry," with lightning strikes that started new blazes.
Record high temperatures scorched much of the state on Tuesday. Records were set in Coalville, Escalante, Heber City, Logan, Moab, Monticello, Orem, Provo, Salt Lake City, Springville and Tooele. Salt Lake City's record was 103, the third day in a row to break the century mark.
The excessive heat not only adds to the misery of the tired firefighters, it also makes fires burn worse. Hot temperatures at night mean blazes are flaring up during the night, when fires normally quiet down.
Kathy Jo Pollock, spokeswoman for the Salt Lake Interagency Fire Center, said a new management team would take over a complex of fires in the western desert. They are the new Box Canyon and Aragonite fires, set by lightning late Tuesday or early Wednesday, and the Bismarck fire, which has been burning for a week.
The Box Canyon fire is in Skull Valley about 10 miles south of I-80 and has consumed more than 600 acres. The Aragonite fire, close to I-80, is more than 4,000 acres and came within 150 yards of a hazardous waste facility before it was turned back. The Bismarck fire, south of Fairfield and near the town of Eureka, Juab County, more than 2,200 acres.
The Salt Lake Fire Department sent two crews Tuesday night to Eureka, where they are standing by in case the town is threatened, said the department's Capt. Jim Hansen.
"We got pounded pretty good yesterday with dry lightning," said Vi Hillman of the Bureau of Land Management state office, speaking Wednesday from the scene of the Box Canyon fire.
"Three structures were burned overnight, a shed and two camping trailers. There are other structures in the vicinity. That will be one of our concerns today — keeping the fire moving more to the east, away from the other structures. The fire is just to the west of the Stansbury Mountains. The majority of the fire is on Forest Service land with some on private land." There are six engine crews, two water tenders and three management people totaling 25 people, working the fires, she said..
"We know it's gong to be hot and dry today. The real determining factor will be the wind. If it gets windy out here, we could have problems," said Hillman.
The Aragonite fire west of Cedar Mountains, just off I-80, is now 4,000 acres, Hillman said. The Bismark is 2,200 acres. The Aragonite, Bismark and Box Canyon fires are being named the Salt Lake Desert Complex fires.
Another concern is that "over the hill from Bismarck" are the communities of Eureka and Tintic, Juab County.
If strong winds were to blow in the wrong direction, those communities might be in danger, Hillman said.
The situation also worsened in Utah County. The Oak Hill fire near Alpine blew up into Preston Canyon and burned 100 acres late in the day, said Charlie Johnson of the Santa Barbara County, Calif., Fire Department who is helping manage the fire.
The fire "got down closer to some of the structures" in Timpanogos National Monument. "This morning we're putting crews up there."
Firefighters have closed the American Fork Canyon road until further notice. On Tuesday they evacuated campgrounds in the vicinity.
All activities at the Timpanogos Cave National Monument were shut down early Sunday. The cave and other activities will remain closed until the fires are out, said Suzanne Flory, chief of interpretations.
The cave is generally reserved for walk-through tours of 80-100 visitors per day. Many come from out of state and often plan vacations around a visit, although Flory said most of those kind of reservations are for the weekends.
Besides fire danger, "we've got crews that are going to be working up on the roadway," Johnson said. Tanker planes and helicopters carrying huge water buckets will be flying across the canyon, adding to the hazard.
The Oak Hills fire near Alpine is the most dangerous of the Wasatch Complex, burning about 900 acres. The East Vivian fire at the mouth of Provo Canyon is still out of control.
Firefighters are bracing for thunderstorms and their strong downdrafts, said Johnson. The winds can "literally blow this fire in almost any direction."
Resources are stretched so thin that some fires are not getting the equipment and crews they need. A crew from the Wasatch Complex was dispatched to fight a fire at Nebo Creek that was started by lightning about 3 p.m. Tuesday.
Sharon Haddock also contributed to this article.
E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com; bau@desnews.com