Summit County has seen an active fire week with extreme danger and multiple burns sparking throughout the East Side — and officials indicate the risk is expected to persist for at least another few weeks.
Area firefighters were called to battle at least three blazes that charred close to 400 acres over the past seven days. The wildfires started as brush fires, some were quickly extinguished while others burned for longer.
The South Summit Fire District on Monday stopped the forward progress of the Murdock Hollow Fire just a couple of hours after it was reported west of Kamas near S.R. 248. The fire was estimated at 20 acres at its afternoon peak. However, officials later used updated mapping and determined the fire was actually closer to 4.5 acres. It was 90% contained as of Monday night.
Mutual aid agreements and collaborating with other agencies, such as the Park City and Morgan County fire departments as well as air support from the state, helped keep the blaze from getting too far out of control, said Summit County Communications Director Derek Siddoway.
The Murdock Hollow Fire had grown to about 3 acres around 10:30 a.m. on Monday. The Utah Department of Transportation closed one westbound lane of the highway to give crews room to work.
It was caught and 5% contained by noon. Containment increased throughout the afternoon, hitting 60% by 3:30 p.m. That’s also when it was downsized. No evacuations were ordered.
“Being able to get those resources quickly has been very helpful for us on all of the fires we’ve had in the past week,” Siddoway said. “We have a lot of great partners around us in neighboring counties that help out.”
The coalition of firefighters has also helped prevent local crews from becoming burnt out.
South Summit firefighters had worked on another blaze Sunday afternoon with the help of the Wasatch Fire District.
The Browns Canyon Fire was extinguished about two hours after it was reported. The wildfire burned around 15 acres, briefly threatening a garage-type building in the area. It was 100% contained by that evening.
The cause of both fires remains undetermined.
Firefighters on Sunday were also finishing up mop-up work on the Dikker Hill Fire. The 360-acre blaze ignited west of Echo Reservoir on Wednesday afternoon. Summit County crews spent the weekend wrapping up containment efforts and monitoring for hot spots as the Northern Utah Type 3 Incident Management Team withdrew. It was determined to be human-caused.
Fire officials are urging the public to be mindful of their surroundings as summer swelters on. Existing conditions and little rain have created the perfect environment for a spark to catch. Heavy wind can also cause a fire to spread faster than expected.
A red flag warning was in effect all day Tuesday in the Wasatch Mountains because of critical fire conditions. Forecasters expected western winds between 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. The humidity was also low and dry fuels could ignite and spread rapidly.
High temperatures and sunny weather were also expected later in the week with the possibility of rain on Sunday.
“Wildfire moves very fast, especially under our dry, hot conditions here in Summit County. It’s important to be prepared and have a plan if wildfire comes to your area,” county officials stated.
There have been about 88 wildfires that have started in Utah since July 21 and 687 since the season started. Most have been human-caused.
There are several fire restrictions in place including a ban on fireworks and exploding targets. People found in violation could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Text SCFIREINFO to 888777 for updates on Summit County’s fire outlook and conditions, red flag warnings, prescribed burns, information on active fires and more.