LEHI — Fire crews are feeling more “positive” late Sunday morning about progress made on a brush fire on Traverse Mountain that prompted evacuations of dozens of homes in Lehi and Draper overnight, but they are keeping a wary eye on expected winds in an approaching storm, an official said
“(The fire is) not moving toward any buildings right now, and for the most part the forward progression has been significantly slow. It’s calmed down a ton,” said Kaitlyn Webb, spokeswoman with Utah Division of Forestry Fire & State Lands. “The fire’s looking great, especially compared to last night. We’re just going to have to wait and see how the winds kick up and how it progresses at that point.”
About 42 houses along Autumn Hills Boulevard were evacuated early Sunday morning as the fast-moving fire moved down toward homes in the Point of the Mountain neighborhoods. Residents at Spring View Lane in Lehi were also evacuated, as well as residents of Maple Hollow in Draper
Originally estimated at more than 1,000 acres, officials said the fireworks-sparked blaze had burned 450 acres.
Evacuations will be reevaluated after the storm passes Sunday afternoon, Webb said.
Crews were first called to the Traverse Fire about 11:30 p.m. Eventually, firefighters from agencies around Utah Valley and Salt Lake County responded to assist.
“We sent all of our crews up there, and we had a wind-driven fire which really exploded because of the dry grasses up there. Our initial priority were the houses on Autumn Hills (Boulevard),” said Lehi Fire Chief Jeremy Craft.
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Due to the large size of the fire, a wildland firefighting team took over command of battling the blaze.
“The big problem for us was that it was a wind-driven fire. As we were fighting this fire, there was a significant wind event happening up there especially down canyon, so really pushing that fire hard through the dry grasses up there,” Craft said.
About 5 a.m., a small rainstorm went through the area and increased humidity, Craft said, helping firefighters with suppression efforts.
The person who set off the fireworks that ignited the fire was cooperating with law enforcement, fire officials said on the Utah Fire Info twitter account. The person’s identity has not been released.
Craft said the fire started at an “opportune” time of high fire risk. Fireworks are also prohibited in the area.
“Super dry fuels, all of the sudden we get kind of a dry wind storm that comes in, and this thing was explosive,” the fire chief said.
“It’s unfortunate that this incident happened. It caused a lot of people a long, sleepless night. And as you look up on that mountain, a considerable amount of damage that this is not the end of it. If we can’t get it revegetated, and we get some heavy rains any time between now and when it is revegetated, we’re going to have to worry about mud slide and those houses are going to be in danger again,” Craft said.
When resident John Clark saw the fire as it first started, he and his family were driving home on state Route 92. They then “rushed up the hill to try to warn those who were sleeping.”
At first, it looked like an “out of control campfire,” he said, but he had a feeling it would move down the mountain and endanger homes.
“The flames were pretty intense, and the heat was definitely you could feel it. It was very strong,” Clark said. He and his wife helped residents wake up and gather belongings, he said. The couple did not need to evacuate themselves.
Clark expressed gratitude to the firefighters who worked to save homes.
“We have awesome firefighters that jumped right in and were able to lay down some water and some backfire and did a great job,” Clark said.
Tyler Barnes, another resident, said he was about to go out with his girlfriend when he noticed flames on the mountainside. He was one of the first people to call 911.
“And then I hurried and ran inside and told my roommates, and started grabbing stuff. Then the fire truck came through honking his horn, and everyone started leaving. It was crazy,” he recalled.
“It’s kind of scary. I’ve never been through anything like this,” he said, adding that he had just moved to the area a few months ago. “Freak moments like this, you kind of just grab valuables, the most memorable stuff, and you kind of just get out, hope everyone else gets out . . . and hope for the best,” Barnes said.
Crews protected structures throughout the morning. Just a vinyl fence had been burned, according to Craft. Homes in the area, however, were expected to have some smoke damage.
The Red Cross set up evacuation centers at Skyridge High School and Draper Park Middle School. At one point, 40 residents were there, Draper officials said. Red Cross staff were checking residents for COVID-19 before they entered. The evacuation centers were then closed within a few hours due to a lack of people seeking assistance.
Craft said there had been no reports of injuries or people being treated for smoke inhalation.
The fire caused a power outage impacting parts of Bluffdale, Draper, Kearns, Lehi and Midvale. In Draper, at least 6,000 homes were affected, officials said. Power was restored by 6 a.m., Rocky Mountain Power officials said.
Draper officials asked residents and visitors to stay off the city’s trails Sunday, particularly in the Suncrest area.
State fire officials warned that fireworks are prohibited throughout the state at all times except for July 2-5, July 22-25 and Dec. 31 through Jan. 1. Fireworks are always prohibited on federal lands.
“I know that fireworks are fun, and people love them. You know what this happens every year,” Craft said. “I would just ask residents to really think about that, and help us out and do the right thing with your fireworks. Have your fun, but be safe about it and don’t cause harm to others.”
This story will be updated throughout the day.
Contributing: Felicia Martinez
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