PROVO — At least one person will be fined for accidentally starting a fire on Y Mountain Tuesday, Provo fire officials said Wednesday.
About a dozen people from the U.S. Forest Service were mopping up the 2-acre fire Wednesday. It was reported about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday when a group of college-aged people were on the block Y, said Provo Fire Capt. Dean York.
"Witnesses came forward saying they had lit Chinese lanterns," he said.
One man eventually confessed to lighting a lantern, York said. He was issued a ticket that comes with a minimum $500 fine, and could be forced to pay for fire suppression efforts, which as of Wednesday included the cost of a helicopter, he said.
The U.S. Forest Service took over command of the fire from the Provo Fire Department overnight. By Wednesday morning, a helicopter was dumping water on the fire and dropping off 75-gallon pods of water for ground crews who continued building a fire line. The Forest Service contained the fire's spread by about 3 p.m. and expected to have it under control late Wednesday.
The first arriving crews Tuesday reported wind-fueled flames up to 30 feet high, York said, making the fire highly visible throughout Utah County. No structures were threatened.
The lanterns are made with a candle and light paper that rises into the air. And while they are popular among many residents, York said they're also illegal. Fire officials say the open flame that fuels the lanterns and the fact there's no control over where they'll land makes them very dangerous
Email: preavy@deseretnews.com
Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam