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Firefighters, aided by a fleet of water- and fire-retardant laden helicopters and air tankers, were battling to complete containment lines around a blaze that had blackened nearly 500 acres near Deer Creek Reservoir Tuesday.
Mike Erickson, a spokesman for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, said 90 firefighters were on the line at dawn Tuesday, and another 80-90 were expected to join them by nightfall — though that could hinge upon availability.
"Resources are stretched thin with all the fires up in Oregon and Washington state," he said. "For now, we're still calling it 5 percent contained, though they got some great work done overnight with the bulldozers."
Crews had dug barrier lines to protect the Canyon Meadows subdivision, and the blaze — dubbed the Wheeler Fire — was burning uphill and away from the Provo Canyon community.
Still, the fire,GPS mapped at 492 acres, continued to burn within thick oak and maple on steep, rugged terrain, and for those reasons finally reining in the flames will be a painstaking process of completing containment, dousing flareups and carefully watching for, and responding to hot spots.
Given those factors, much will depend on several helicopters and four air tankers assigned to the fire, Erickson said.
The fire is believed human caused, possibly connected to discovery of a burned ATV reportedly found within the scorched perimeter.
Erickson said he had heard about the ATV, but could not yet confirm a vehicle fire had been determined to be the specific cause.
State Road 92, from Sundance to its junction with SR-114, was closed Tuesday to clear the route for firefighting operations.
Meanwhile, a lightning-caused fire three miles southeast of the Oak Grove campground, near Leeds in Washington County, had burned 80 acres by Tuesday afternoon and was growing, fire officials said. The fire was 0% contained, resources were arriving and no structures were threatened, officials said. The Oak Grove campground was evacuated as a precaution.
Firefighters also responded to a new blaze that erupted overnight in brush near 300 North and 5000 West. Clearfield and Davis County crews were dispatched to the fire, which was spotted about 3 a.m. Tuesday.
The blaze burned 12 acres and by 9:30 a.m., crews from the North Davis Fire District and Syracuse had extinguished the flames. No structures were lost and no injuries reported.
North Davis Fire District Chief Mark Becraft said investigators believe the blaze was sparked by a transient squatter who was found at the scene, but it was unclear whether the fire was intentionally set or accidental.
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