This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Firefighters, having doused the final, stubborn flames of a Cottonwood Heights field fire that forced evacuation of dozens of homes, carefully combed nearly 28 blackened acres in search of any remaining hot spots on Wednesday.
Unified Fire Capt. Dan Brown said the Quail Hollow Fire officially began the day at 60 percent containment. The fire was fully contained by 7 p.m.
"The flames are all out," Brown said in the morning. "Today, we're having our crews out walking every square inch of that fire to make sure there is nothing that can spark it up again."
Brown said the fire ignited when an underground electrical transformer, at 9322 S. Wasatch Blvd. (near 3500 East), exploded for yet-to-be-determined reasons. The resulting fire, whipped by winds of 20 mph, destroyed a garage-like outbuilding, but otherwise was limited to grass and oak brush.
Early on, flames did burn within 50 feet of some homes in the area encompassed by Despain Way, Green Hills Drive and Treasure Way, but crews were able to turn back the blaze.
However, as a precaution, about 30 homeowners and their families voluntarily evacuated. They had been allowed to return to their homes late Tuesday.
In all, about 100 firefighters — from Unified Fire Authority and other Salt Lake Valley fire departments, including Sandy, West Jordan, South Jordan, Lone Peak and Murray — battled the blaze. A fixed wing air tanker and two National Guard Black Hawk helicopters made water drops on the flames as well.
Early Thursday morning, firefighters returned to Cottonwood Heights to quickly douse another, unrelated field fire. The 3 a.m. blaze, of undetermined cause, burned about three quarters of an acre near 2500 East and 7900 South.
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