The irony of a wildfire sparked by construction work at a new fire station was not lost on neighbor J.R. Creel.

"Maybe the construction crew wasn't as careful as the residents," she said good-naturedly from her home as the 29-acre fire about four miles into Emigration Canyon ebbed under attack from fire teams on the ground and in the sky.

Although Creel has never seen a fire so close to her property in the 30 years she's lived in Emigration Canyon, she was confident her neighbors had taken the precautions everyone who lives in the canyon depends on: thinned brush near homes, fire-retardant plants, no "foolishness" with barbecues and fireworks.

The canyon's scrubby slopes give way to a particularly fire-conscious neighborhood, agreed Unified Fire Authority spokesman Jay Fearnley.

"They're an involved community in fire protection because they really are at risk," he said.

That risk flared up Wednesday morning when crews at the site for the new Unified Fire Authority station, 5070 E. Pioneer Fork, were working on the foundation, grinding rebar. Sparks landed in nearby brush and grass, and a small wind fanned the blaze up the hill to the southeast, Fearnley said.

Initially, the fire threatened homes in Creel's neighborhood, but wind shifted the flames to the north, threatening 16 homes in the Old Oak development. Authorities ordered a precautionary and voluntary evacuation. Those evacuations were lifted at about 5:30 p.m.

More than 50 firefighters, aided by engine and tanker companies, as well as water- and fire retardant-dropping helicopters and airplanes, fought the blaze. Containment was expected by 6 p.m. today. No injuries or property damage were reported.

Fearnley called the fire accidental. "Everything was standard practice," he said. "[The crew] did nothing wrong."