‘Clay Pit’ wildfire grows to 200 acres near Saratoga Springs

SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah County — A new wildfire quickly grew to about 200 acres in the area of Saratoga Springs on Wednesday evening.

Saratoga Springs officials told KSL TV that the Clay Pit Fire started as a brush fire in a popular target practice area in Israel Canyon at approximately 5 p.m.

The smoke could be seen around Utah County, as the flames quickly fanned up the mountain not far from neighborhoods in Saratoga Springs. Residents stood on their front porches and gathered on neighborhood streets to watch.

Mother and daughter Sue and Emma Barney looked up at the hillside, as the fire engulfed trees and shrubs. They said they saw smoke from their house and came out to see what was going on.

They said they’ve evacuated twice before from wildfires in the past.

“If the wind changes or anything changes, then that’s when you get nervous,” Sue Barney said. “That’s when we’re like, ‘Oh, crap!'”

This time, four different aircraft were quick to attack, dropping water and retardant. Six different agencies jumped in to help, also fighting from the ground.

“The winds have actually kind of pushed the fire up into the canyon, as opposed to towards the homes in Saratoga Springs,” said Saratoga Springs City PR Specialist AnneElise Harrison. “So the fire has stayed on state lands.”

Residents were not ordered to evacuate, though Harrison explained that communication towers at the top of the mountain became a concern.

“They are concentrating on protecting those towers, because that’s where the fire is directed at this time,” she said.

A Bureau of Land Management spokesperson said the cause of the Clay Pit Fire is under investigation. Harrison and several neighbors said the area is a popular spot for target shooting.

Standing facing the smokey hills Wednesday evening, Sue and Emma Barney looked toward an area where they say people often target practice.

“I wonder if someone was shooting right there, and that’s where it started,” Emma Barney said, pointing to an area by a road now burnt and charred.

They were just glad that the fire stayed away from homes, allowing them to watch without worry.

“It’s awesome that they got so many helicopters so quickly, and the planes,” Sue Barney said.

“They’re working hard,” Emma Barney added.

By nightfall Wednesday, a BLM spokesperson said the fire had stopped forward progression. Crews had not yet established any containment.

Multiple agencies, including Saratoga Springs Fire, Lehi Fire, Unified Fire Authority, Utah County Fire, State, and BLM responded. BLM said crews will fight the fire overnight on the ground, and air support is expected to pick back up Thursday morning.

Fire officials ask that people avoid flying drones in the area, stay out of the area so fire crews can continue to access the area, and refrain from calling 911 if they see flare-ups in the area.