Fire crews gain ‘good control’ on blaze near Ensign Peak; mandatory evacuations remain in place

Firefighters say they believe they are making strong progress as they continue to battle a wildfire that sparked Saturday in the foothills near Ensign Peak, but mandatory evacuations remain in effect for dozens of homes near the blaze.

“We don’t have any numbers as far as the acreage ... but we do have good control of the fire,” said Salt Lake City Fire spokesman Bob Silverthorne, in a briefing Saturday evening. “The wind has sort of mellowed out ... in our favor.”

The mandatory evacuations apply to residents of Sandhurst Drive north of Dorchester Drive, including Twickenham Drive, which includes about 40 homes, according to Silverthorne. He said police were able to make contact with everyone in the area without any issues.

Voluntary evacuations are also in place for residents north of Ensign Vista Drive along East Capitol to North Cove because of what is being called the Sandhurst Fire.

The east building of the Utah Capitol is available for short-term gathering for evacuees. Silverthorne called it “sort of a safe haven right now if people have been evacuated and if they want to get out of the heat.”

Gov. Spencer Cox posted on social platform X that the state was “aware” of the situation.

“The Utah Capital is open as an evacuation center. Stay safe, Utah!” he wrote.

City Creek Canyon and the canyon road are also closed. Radio towers, the City Creek watershed and multiple other structures were threatened, Utah Fire Info — a combination of state and federal firefighting agencies — posted on social media.

Multiple agencies deployed fire trucks, helicopters and planes that dumped water and fire retardant to attack the fire. Over 100 firefighters responded to the scene.

Crews are expected to remain at the scene Saturday night and Sunday morning. The Northern Utah Type 3 Incident Management Team, led by the state, has been called in and will oversee firefighting efforts overnight, according to Silverthorne.

The Sandhurst Fire was first reported as a brush fire shortly before 4:30 p.m. and soon required a larger response. It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the fire and that remains under investigation.

Salt Lake City firefighters don’t currently have an estimated fire size or containment percentage. But crews initially faced tough conditions, including strong wind gusts.

“With the heat as well as the wind direction, just the temperatures out here and the fuel moisture out here, it’s kind of a recipe that we could have a quickly running fire,” he said. “So of course we want to make early notifications (for evacuees) as much as we can.”

The wind started blowing the fire southwest late Saturday afternoon, sending thick smoke through Hells Canyon west of Ensign Peak.

Silverthorne said the conditions haven’t been ideal for firefighting efforts. Back-to-back wet winters led to more vegetation growth, which has dried in recent months. Salt Lake City hasn’t received measurable rain since June 21, which is the only day it has received measurable rain since meteorological summer began at the start of June.

The U.S. Drought Monitor now lists the area as “abnormally dry,” as well.

“Because we had such a wet winter, it leads to high fuel content” in vegetation,” Silverthorne explained. “That moisture content can be down really fast, especially with this heat,” and those plants can grow up to chest-high. “We always caution people — have defensible space around your area.”

Salt Lake police posted on social media to ask people to stay away from the area while firefighters work to get control of the fire. Residents staying away will allow fire crews to have enough space to work safely, they said.

Officers also turned away a handful of people who tried to enter Memory Grove because helicopters could land in the area for water. Police and firefighters say people should not go anywhere north of the Utah Capitol if they don’t need to be there.

The public is also asked to not fly drones near wildfires, which could cause aviation resources to be grounded,” fire officials said. With Pioneer Day approaching next week, Silverthorne also advised residents to be careful lighting off fireworks.

“Please, please, please abide by the firework-restricted areas,” he said. “Be heads up in your community.”

New Start: #Sandhurst 🔥 in Salt Lake County is on Ensign Peak has active fire behavior and is visible from I15. Radio...

Posted by Utah Fire Info on Saturday, July 20, 2024

This story will be updated.

Contributing : Carter Williams, Briana Chavez