Officials: Gun Range Fire Caused By Abandoned Campfire
Aug 30, 2019, 3:20 PM | Updated: Jan 4, 2023, 11:57 am
BOUNTIFUL, Utah – Officials have confirmed the Gun Range Fire was caused by an abandoned campfire near the Bountiful “B” on the mountain.
The fire has destroyed four structures and continues to burn Friday.
Dana Harris with the U.S. Forest Service said investigators are looking for two individuals in a small SUV in connection with the fire.
Debra Blaisdell’s home sits just across the street from where the fire burned down to Easthills Dr. and was not happy to learn how it started.
“Now that I know it’s a campfire, I’m furious!” Blaisdell said. “Who would do something like that and put all of these homes and all of these lives in danger? It’s just terrible.”
Evacuations will remain in effect through Friday night. The latest information on those orders can be found here.
Forest Service officials said 365 acres have been burned so far and the fire is 10% contained.
Blaisdell said a fire hydrant just across the street from her house ended up helping crews as they battled to keep the blaze away from homes on the street.
“He said, ‘had we not had that there, the outcome probably would have been different,” Blaisdell said. “They saved all of our houses. They were awesome.”
Four 20-person crews are fighting the fire, along with three helicopters, one air attack and a very large air tanker.
Very Large Air Tanker dropping on the #GunRangeFire pic.twitter.com/yEYeg4sleQ
— Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) August 30, 2019
Federal funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency have been approved to help firefights battle the fire.
The National Weather Service said in a tweet that it did not record any lightning strikes in the area when the fire started.
We have such lightning data, and did not see any reported lightning strikes in the immediate vicinity of the fire near the time it started. Closest strikes were in Kaysville/Centerville.
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) August 30, 2019
Four structures were destroyed in the fire, including the home of Dan and Cherilyn Fisher.
The couple’s children said their parents immediately left their home to warn others in their neighborhood. They said Cherilyn began honking their car’s horn in street while Dan pulled an elderly neighbor from her home.
A fundraiser has been established for them at this link.*
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