This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Careless campers are causing major problems for the U.S. Forest Service by leaving fires unattended after enjoying a night out in the northern Utah's Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
Officials have seen a threefold increase in the number of abandoned fires, reaching 262 so far this summer, with 53 of them escaping and triggering a fire-suppression response, according to forest spokeswoman Dana Howlett.
"These all had to be put out by our national forest employees to prevent them from spreading," Howlett said. "There is an expense every time someone abandons a campfire. We have to send our employees up there to put it out. Often they will have to work overtime to catch a fire like that."
And on top of that: "We are having a record dry year in northern Utah."
The worst of these incidents resulted in the Box Canyon Fire, which is still burning a few miles above Smith and Morehouse Reservoir in the western Uinta Mountains more than three weeks after it was discovered July 28. This fire has scorched 3,000 acres, costing the Forest Service about $1 million and counting in firefighting efforts.
This fire is 20 percent contained and is being worked by 31 firefighters, according to spokeswoman Loyal Clark. She said investigators traced this fire's point of origin to a campfire, but they have no idea who is responsible for this or any of the other abandoned fires.
"We find them on regular patrols,"she said. "People are long gone by the time we get there."
Meanwhile, the forest saw another fire break out in the Logan District just north of Beaver Mountain ski area Sunday. The Peterson Hollow Fire, whose cause remains unknown, grew from 40 acres Monday to 130 during the day. Nearby trails will likely be closed as two ground crews, deploying 205 firefigthers, three engines and water drops, fight the flames. Due to heavy winds, the blaze had burned 920 acres by Wednesday.
Other fires burning in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache on Tuesday included Mineral Fork in Big Cottonwood Canyon; Outlook on the Uintas' North Slope; and Andrews Ridge near Mount Nebo.
Howlett said areas where abandoned fires are most commonly found include the Nebo Loop Road between Maple Bench and Payson Lakes and along dispersed sites in Pole Canyon, as well as the Heber Ranger District.
Investigators are discovering fire rings in undeveloped camping areas in hazardous areas with dry grasses and overhanging branches. They are also finding logs that are too long to fit in some rings and some burning outside the rings.
"They are dumping their garbage in the fire pit they built and leaving the debris to burn out," Clark said, "and it sometimes doesn't completely burn."
Forest visitors are legally responsible for their campfires, which are considered wildfires if they escape. They can be charged the cost of fighting a resulting wildfire.
Brian Maffly covers public lands for The Salt Lake Tribune. Maffly can be reached at bmaffly@sltrib.com or 801-257-8713.
Twitter: @brianmaffly