(Traffic slowly moving away from the Knolls Fire. Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.)
SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah — The Knolls Fire that forced the evacuation of 3,100 homes and has burned close to 13,000 acres was human caused, firefighters said Tuesday.
Originally, they thought a lightning strike had caused the fire.
Tuesday, Utah Fire Info said the Knolls Fire had burned an estimated 13,000 acres in all and was 31% contained.
Saratoga Springs officials updated residents Tuesday in an effort to prevent future flooding or landslides on the burn scar. They asked residents to “gather and place” sandbags.
“First it was the fire, and now it’s looking forward to potential flooding,” Kari Boyd-Peak, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Land Management told reporters.
Saratoga Springs spokesman Dave Johnson described flooding and mudslides as the “big concern” after the fire.
“We’ve got a load of sandbags,” Johnson said. “What we’re asking from the public is to help mobilize and move these sandbags and get them by the homes that are next to the open mountainside, next to these slopes.”
Residents can pick up sandbags from one of three locations: church buildings at 2947 S. Swainson Ave. and 88 W. Harbor Park Way, and at the Saratoga Springs Marina at 156 Harbor Park Way.