If not for some firefighters still keeping a wary watch on still-smouldering patches of the blackened foothills at the mouth of Weber Canyon, the Uintah Fire would be history.
Fire Information Officer Kim Osborn said Friday that there had been no growth beyond the 619 acres noted Wednesday, and all 900 evacuees were back home — except for three homeowners who lost their abodes to the flames on Tuesday, the fire’s first day.
The specific cause of the fire remained under investigation, but it was believed connected to a downed power line that ignited grass early Tuesday morning, Weber County fire investigators confirmed.
Those flames quickly spread through parched swaths of sagebrush, oak shrubs and grass east of Comb Road and Woodland Drive, and along U.S. 84.
On Friday, about 50 firefighters — down from 300 at the height of the blaze — were on the lines.
“ Fire behavior should be minimal today as the fire continues to smolder in some areas. Weather is expected be slightly cooler [with] partly cloudy skies, which will aid firefighter in extinguishing pockets of heats,” Osborn said.
The fire could be declared snuffed sometime this weekend, but Osborn said that “firefighters and fire engines will still be working around [affected homes] for the next few days to ensure the fire is 100 percent out.”
The blaze destroyed three “primary residence” homes and three other structures, Osborn said.