The Willard Peak Fire in North Ogden that prompted evacuations and threatened homes burns on Thursday, covering more than 750 acres, though no homes or buildings have been torched.
“We still have an active fire,” said Kelly Wickens, the Utah Department of Natural Services official serving as spokeswoman for the firefighting effort.
The fire on the mountainside just above North Ogden in the shadow of Ben Lomond Peak started Wednesday afternoon. It burned through the night, with orange fire spots visible from afar on the mountainside, and officials had yet to contain any of it as of Thursday morning, she said, though firefighters kept up their efforts around the clock.
“The fire burned right to the homes but no homes were lost,” Wickens said.
A section of northeastern North Ogden abutting the fire area had to be evacuated Wednesday given the proximity of the fire. The evacuation order will remain in effect, even though officials said Wednesday night it would be lifted 9 a.m. Thursday. The city of North Ogden Facebook page said the evacuation order would remain in place until 5 p.m. Thursday while Wickens was more open-ended.
“We’ll reevaluate that through the day,” she said.
On Wednesday, fire officials had said the wildfire had extended to 200-300 acres, but Wickens said they were able to actually map the fire zone, getting a more accurate gauge of its extent, 754 acres as of Thursday morning. The fire zone spreads largely up the mountain north of the site where it started near the 3400 block of 1050 East.
Though the fire isn’t yet contained, Wickens said firefighters doused hot spots overnight. The focus of firefighters Thursday will be preventing the fire from reaching structures and containment. Three helicopters and several airplanes are available to help spread fire retardant.
“Crews face critical fire weather today as hand crews tackle steep terrain. Follow evacuation orders & avoid the area,” reads a post on the social platform X from UtahFireInfo, operated by the state of Utah as a clearinghouse of information about fires around the state.
As firefighting continues, officials are still investigating the cause. The call for the fire came in around 2 p.m. Wednesday and when North View Fire District firefighters arrived at the location on 1050 East, they found a parked car fully engulfed in flames where 1050 turns from pavement into a dirt road. Just up the mountain, there were two additional fires in the brush — three separate fires in all, according to Jeremiah Jones, deputy chief for the fire district.
A shelter for those evacuated was set up in Pleasant View at a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, operated by the Red Cross of Northern Utah. Michael Smauldon, executive director of the Red Cross branch, said eight families stayed at the location, four inside the shelter and four on the meetinghouse grounds in their own trailers.
The North Ogden Divide was closed Wednesday but had reopened as of Thursday morning, the city of North Ogden said on Facebook.
This story will be updated.
