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Great Salt Lake Park reopens as crews contain Lakeshore Fire; grass fire closes I-80

The fire in Tooele County forced the evacuation of about 60 people and closed the park Friday.

The Lakeshore Fire that prompted an evacuation of about 60 people at the Great Salt Lake State Park and Marina on Friday is now 100% contained, per Utah Fire Info. Closed temporarily, the park reopened at about 4 p.m. on Saturday, the Utah Department of Natural Resources announced.

The Lakeshore Fire burned about 400 acres and about 40 power poles, and damaged a quarter mile of railroad track, according to Utah Fire Info; its cause is under investigation. The fire began burning Friday near mile marker 100 on Interstate 80, a few miles west of the Great Saltair.

A spokesperson with Utah State Parks said aside from “very minimal” vegetation getting burned, the park was unaffected, no injuries were reported and no structures were damaged.

But power is still out in parts of the area due to damaged power lines, the spokesperson said. The park currently is using generators to bring power to the affected area.

Just west of the Lakeshore Fire is the Cypress Fire, which started Friday evening at about 5:42 p.m., per Utah Fire Info. As of Sunday morning, the fire had burned 286 acres and was 85% contained. The cause is under investigation.

The Left Fork Fire near the Dixie National Forest is only 5% contained as of Sunday evening, after reaching 10% containment earlier in the day. Officials said it has burned an estimated 2,000 acres and was caused by humans. Difficult terrain and extreme weather are making it difficult for firefighters to address the blaze, officials said. Windy conditions are moving the fire northeast and it has crossed the middle fork of Blubber Creek.

The fire, which started at about 1 p.m. Saturday, is not threatening any structures at this time, officials said, and no injuries have been reported.

Near St. George, the Dalton Wash fire sits at 90% containment and has burned 378 acres as of Sunday morning.

Late Sunday afternoon, a grass fire caused by a transformer explosion closed I-80 in both directions near 5600 West, close to the airport, the Salt Lake City Fire Department tweeted. Smoke was causing low visibility.

Red flag warnings remain in effect

Much of the state is under a red flag warning until 10 p.m. Sunday due to high winds and low relative humidity, per the National Weather Service.

Low humidity, dry vegetation and gusty winds are creating especially high fire danger in eastern Utah, the weather service said.

The weather in Salt Lake City won’t be as hot Sunday compared to the past few days, with a high of 77 degrees and a low of 51, according to the weather service. It will be mostly sunny and breezy throughout the day.

After noon, there is a 20% chance of rain. At night, there is also a slight chance of thunderstorms.