Target shooters ignite Utah County wildfire

By Erin Alberty

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Sep 16 2012 05:32 pm • Last Updated Jan 07 2013 11:31 pm

Target shooters likely started a fire that is burning on West Mountain in Utah County, investigators have determined.

The 350-acre blaze began about 6 p.m. Saturday on the west side of the mountain, near Genola and Payson, said BLM spokeswoman Cami Lee.

It is not directly threatening any structures, but a nearby astronomy observatory has been evacuated as a precaution, she said.

"It depends what the wind does," Lee said.

Crews expect to contain the fire by 8 p.m. Monday.

Target shooters ignited a fire June 21 that forced thousands to evacuate in Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs. That blaze, called the Dump Fire, burned vegetation and lead to flooding earlier this month in Saratoga Springs.

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

About Reader Comments

---

Reader comments on sltrib.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Salt Lake Tribune. We will delete comments containing obscenities, personal attacks and inappropriate or offensive remarks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. If you see an objectionable comment, please alert us by clicking the arrow on the upper right side of the comment and selecting "Flag comment as inappropriate". If you've recently registered with Disqus or aren't seeing your comments immediately, you may need to verify your email address. To do so, visit disqus.com/account.
See more about comments here.