A large fire is burning in wetland area west of the city of Kaysville, Utah. Photo credit: Kaysville Fire Department
(Update: Friday, Sept. 10, 9:08 p.m.)
A severe thunderstorm moved through the area Friday evening, producing a significant amount of rain. The strength of the fire has weakened according to the Kaysville Fire Department. The rain also helped clear out smoke that had been looming over the eastern part of Davis County.
However, there are several spot fires between Kaysville and Farmington. Authorities say those areas are contained and should not spread.
Crews will remain in the area overnight, monitoring the situation and working hot spots.
Authorities say that while power has been restored to some homeowners, it is still out for others. The time when power will be restored is not known.
(Update: Friday, Sept. 10, 8:32 p.m.)
Fire officials say there have been no evacuations issued for the Legacy Fire.
Farmington resident Austin Smith saw the lightning strike that caused the blaze, and called 911. He tells KSL he expected the fire to be knocked down quickly since it was so small, at first. However, the weather spread the fire, rapidly.
Smith says, “Honestly, it was so small at the moment that I thought it’s really nothing, but just the fact that there was a lot of wind from the storm blowing in, it would spread quite quickly.”
His wife, Margaret, says the marshy area by her home is normally too soft and muddy to drive on, so she wasn’t sure how crews would reach the fire.
“It’s hard to be out there. When they came, [I thought] there’s no way they’re going to get out there because cars could never get out there,” she says. “We were thinking a helicopter would come to put it out, but then we heard they were just going to let it burn.”
However, no aerial units were sent to knock the fire down. Officials say they had fire breaks around the blaze to keep it from spreading toward homes. Plus, residents like Matthew Gore say they were confident in the other fire breaks already in place.
“There’s the Power Line Road that acts as a fire break. It’s pretty robust, has boulders and is wet on either side of it,” Gore says.
Kayli Yardley with Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands says the terrain made it impossible for them to send firefighters to the frontlines. That’s why they decided to let the fire burn.
Yardley says, “It is really hard to get any kind of [equipment out there], whether it’s a dozer or an engine, or even a hand crew. There’s not a lot of accessibility.”
She says they put crews in nearby neighborhoods just in case embers caused more fires.
“They do have resources ordered and ready to go as soon as they decide to pull that trigger when it hits that contingency,” Yardley says.
(Update: Friday, Sept. 10, 7:53 p.m.)
According to the Kaysville Fire Department Facebook page, the fire had pushed north and then burned out in a green belt, which is west of the Davis Sewer District in Kaysville.
The wind has shifted pushing the fire southeast toward Farmington.
Winds created from severe thunderstorms have made fighting the fire difficult. According to the Facebook post, smoke is covering entire neighborhoods.
According to the Kaysville Fire Department, evacuations have been issued for those closest to the fire. First responders are reminding all individuals in the area to be prepared to leave as the direction of the wind could quickly change the fire’s behavior.
(Update: Friday, Sept. 10, 5:40 p.m.)
The Legacy Fire has grown to 300 acres. No structures are threatened or closures are in place.
First responders say the fire was started by a lightning strike.
Authorities are asking motorists to avoid the area.
Previous reporting
KAYSVILLE, Utah — A large fire burning near Kaysville is now being attacked by the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, with Kaysville Fire and Farmington Fire standing by.
The Kaysville Fire Department reports on its Facebook page that the fire has been named the Legacy Fire and is currently burning one mile west from any structures.
Kaysville Fire also reports that the blaze is not a threat to any neighborhoods at this time. But they warn that a significant shift in the wind could change any potential danger to nearby populations.
“Due to the location of the fire, there is no access for crews to reach the fire, so it will continue to burn,” Kaysville Fire said in a Facebook posting.
“Crews have established a fire break on the West Davis Corridor in the event that the winds (do) shift,” the post continued.
Kaysville fire also reports that the Davis County 911 emergency system is being inundated with calls related to the fire. They ask that those concerned not contact 911 unless they have an emergency.
According to the Utah Fire Info social media account, the fire is estimated at 200 acres as of Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. Multiple resources are on scene.
Ash from the fire was seen falling in parts of Layton.
PREVIOUS REPORTING:
SALT LAKE CITY — Kaysville and Farmington fire departments are responding to a fire burning in the wetlands west of Kaysville and Farmington, Utah.
In a post on its Facebook page the Kaysville Fire Department said that, at approximately 2:55 p.m. MDT, the fire was not threatening structures and that US Forest Service personnel had been notified.
Corner of Western and Angel in Kaysville, Utah. Credit: Colby Walker
This is a developing story and will be updated.