This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Watchful for dry lightning and gusty winds, firefighters extinguished a small grass fire near the Utah State University campus Tuesday and tried to hem in two major wildfires in northern Utah.
A grassy slope between what Cache Valley locals refer to as "The Island" — south of U.S. Highway 89 near 1000 East — ignited Tuesday afternoon after someone dropped a cigarette along a trail, Logan City Fire Marshall Craig Humphreys said.
Twelve firefighters responded to the fire across the highway from USU's Huntsman School of Business, just after 12:40 p.m., Humphreys said. They put out the fire, which was less than a quarter acre, with no problems, Humphreys said, and no one was injured.
Some cars parked in a parking lot sustained minor damage along the bumpers, Humphreys said, clarifying the damage was "mostly melted license plate holders."
Elsewhere, the Broad Mouth Fire was 52 percent contained after having burned 20,619 acres of timber, grasslands and brush in Box Elder County since it began on Aug. 3, near the Utah-Idaho border town of Plymouth.
Fire Information Officer Joan Hammer said about 190 firefighters, aided by air tankers and helicopters bombarding hot spots with fire retardant chemicals and water, were assigned to the lines on Tuesday.
The Broad Mouth Fire is believed to be human-caused, but specifics about its origins remained under investigation.
In Summit County, 12 miles east of Oakley, the Box Canyon Fire was 10 percent contained after having turned 2,468 acres of conifer, aspen and undergrowth since it was first spotted on July 28.
Fire information officers Riley Pilgrim and Joe Williams said 90 firefighters were monitoring the blaze, burning in rugged, steep terrain in the Erickson Basin, Smith and Morehouse Canyon, and Hells Kitchen areas.
Much of northwestern and northern Utah were under a Red Flag Warning for increased wildfire danger from noon through 9 p.m. Tuesday.
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