This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Crews scurried to contain newly sparked northern Utah wildfires Saturday, hoping that a hot, dry forecast and Pioneer Day fireworks wouldn't combine to ignite more blazes during the holiday weekend.
Firefighters on Saturday contained a 500-plus-acre brush fire burning on the benches just south of Utah County's Saratoga Springs. That blaze, of still-undetermined origin, began about 1 p.m. Friday and, at one point, came within a mile of homes in the Lake Mountain Estates subdivision.
"We had a voluntary evacuation for those folks at one point, but it wasn't needed," said Utah County sheriff's Lt. Darren Gilbert on Saturday. "What really made the difference for us were the air tankers dumping water [and flame retardants]. They [fire crews] were at it for most of the night, but it is contained this morning."
However, with tinder-dry conditions reigning throughout the region, Gilbert worried about what was ahead as Utahns celebrate on Pioneer Day weekend — a holiday that rivals the Fourth of July for public and private fireworks.
"It could be a long weekend," Gilbert said.
Elsewhere in Utah:
• The Dyno Fire — burning in grass, brush and juniper west of Pelican Point in central Utah's Fishlake National Forest — had also topped 500 acres by Saturday morning.
Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Erin Darboven said about 100 firefighters, aided by aerial water and fire-retardant drops, had contained the blaze by noon Saturday. The cause remained under investigation.
• The 300-acre Topliff Fire, which scorched grasses and brush on BLM land in Tooele County's 12 Mile Pass area, was 100 percent contained Friday night.
• The Anasazi Fire in southern Utah had burned about 215 acres by Saturday afternoon. It started about 12:40 p.m., one mile west of Ivins. It is believed the fire was sparked by someone grinding metal. The fire forced closure of Old U.S. 91 west of 400 West in Ivins, but it was reopened about 7:30 p.m. Saturday. No evacuations were in effect. As of 7 p.m. Saturday, it was about 40 percent under control, with full containment expected Sunday.
The National Weather Service, noting its hot, dry and gusty forecast through Monday, had issued a "red flag" fire danger warning for the western half of the state through Friday night, but as winds died down, it expired Saturday.
However, conditions remain ripe for fast-moving wildfires throughout the state as temperatures continue in the 90s to triple digits, and abundant high-desert and forest fuels remained parched.
Roxana Orellana contributed to this report.