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A short-lived grass fire burned about 20acres near Ensign Peak trailhead Saturday night, sending a column of smoke above the state Capitol.
The fire was reported about 6 p.m. at the Ensign Peak Nature Park at 163 E. Ensign Vista Drive (1005 North), according to tweets from the Salt Lake City Fire Department. It was contained about 40 minutes later. The fire department did not disclose the cause of the blaze on Saturday.
Firefighters temporarily evacuated the trail, a popular 1-mile hike overlooking Salt Lake City. The fire did not threaten structures, though flames were visible from downtown.
Meanwhile, Box Elder County's Broad Mouth Fire did not gain any ground overnight, remaining at 20,614 acres, but 204 firefighters made headway containing 35 percent of the fire.
The wildfire was first spotted about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. That day, flames destroyed a cabin, a camp trailer and a mobile home — none of which was occupied.
No other structures had been lost as of Saturday, said spokeswoman Joan Hammer.
Firefighters were reinforced as the weekend began by a fleet of fire-retardant and water-laden air tankers and helicopters as they dug fire breaks and doused hot spots and flareups along the fire's perimeter, Hammer said.
The fire, burning just west of Interstate 15 and north of Interstate 84, is believed to have been human-caused, but the details were still under investigation.
In Summit County, fire crews worked to contain the Box Canyon Fire, which burned 2,313 acres near the Smith and Morehouse Reservoir, fire spokeswoman Loyal Clark said.
The fire remained 15 percent contained Saturday with a 20-person crew, two engines and two helicopters, Clark said. In all, 84 firefighters were on the scene.
The Ledgefork campground and camp sites near Smith and Morehouse Reservoir were closed for the weekend with fire officials planning to reassess the situation Monday.
The area had experienced strong, gusty winds, Clark said, and fire officials anticipated increased fire activity in the coming week as they looked at the forecast.
The fire continued to burn on "steep, rugged, hazardous terrain," Clark said, and she predicted smoke would remain visible from the town of Kamas and campground sites near Mirror Lake Scenic Byway. However, there were no closures in those areas Saturday, Clark said.
No one had been injured due to the fire, Clark said, and no structures were threatened.
A team was camped out at Anchor Lake collecting data and fuel moisture and monitoring the overall activity of the fire, a news release said. Firefighters were attempting to keep the fire from advancing into Erickson Basin by using the two "heavy Helitankers," the release said.
Firefighters were working to contain the "complex" wildfire, the release said, and weather conditions were being monitored on an hourly basis.
"If conditions permit, firefighters will take advantage of the opportunity to continue burnout operations in the northeast and southwest side of the Box Canyon Fire in order to build a buffer that should prevent fire from moving beyond Hell's Kitchen and Erickson Basin," the release said.
Wyoming's Tokewanna Fire was 95 percent contained, just shy of the Utah border at 1,287 acres.
According to a Friday news release, there were 132 firefighters on the scene of the fire which was burning timber, brush and grass.
Crews planned to mop up and patrol a completed fire line and establish distance around structures within the fire perimeter as the weekend continued.
Courtney Tanner contributed to this report.
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