Monday, June 25, 2012

Fires burn in Salt Lake, Millard, Sanpete and Washington counties

Samantha Clemens | The Spectrum Fire crews work to gain ground on a wildfire near the intersection of Valley Road and Babylon Mill Road in Leeds on Saturday, June 23, 2012. Mandatory evacuations for some residents in Leeds went into effect after reports of the fire, which started at approximately 2:45 p.m.

A three-alarm fire destroyed two homes in West Jordan Saturday afternoon, the worst of several Salt Lake County blazes that kept firefighters hopping.

In addition to those fires and the 6,000-acre Dump Fire in Utah County, crews also battled wind-whipped blazes in Millard, Sanpete and Washington counties that forced some evacuations and road closures.

Fires that commanded the most attention include:

Washington County ? A grass fire that started at 2:45 p.m. had spread to about 1,000 acres by Saturday evening, destroying an outbuilding, knocking out power and prompting evacuations of about 40 people on the east side of Leeds.

Ground and air units were deployed to protect other structures, and authorities said they expected power would be restored and residents would be allowed to return home late Saturday.

The fire also prompted lane closures on Interstate 15 at exit 22 and State Road 318 from State Road 9 to State Road 91. The closures lasted about two hours. State Road 91 remained closed from Leeds to Harrisburg.

Sanpete County ? A wildfire estimated at about 500 acres burned between the cities of Fountain Green and Moroni, forcing the evacuation of four to five cabins.

The Wood Hollow Fire reported at 4:47 p.m. moved to the northeast side of the county through the afternoon. A helicopter and bulldozers responded to the fire.

Salt Lake County ? The West Jordan fire in the area of 7095 S. 2305 West ignited at 3:10 p.m. after it appeared a tree along a canal blew over and hit a power line, Fire Chief Marc McElreath said. The line fell in a field of dry grass, which ignited. South winds blew the flames into the two homes, he said.

No one was in the two homes that were destroyed, but some pets still were missing Saturday, he said.

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Earlier in the afternoon, Unified Fire Authority crews responded to another blaze behind homes near 12100 South and 1000 East in Draper. The fire burned two acres of wildlands and damaged about 150 feet of fence, a garage and a car, UFA Capt. Lee Ascarte said. The fireremains under investigation.

A third Salt Lake County fire at 1300 West and 5800 South in Murray also temporarily threatened fences and homes. Fire officials reported it burned about 28 acres.

Millard County ? Bureau of Land Management crews focused on keeping a 16,529-acre desert wildfire within a remote, sparsely populated region of scab rock, sage and grasslands in the Sevier Desert. No structures were burned and no injuries had been reported as of Saturday afternoon.

About 50 firefighters worked to "herd the fire into irrigated fields and sinkholes" that spot the area, said Interagency Fire Center spokesman Don Carpenter, but otherwise were just monitoring the fire for any perimeter hot spots or flare-ups.

Tribune reporter Bob Mims contributed to this story.

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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