Utah Wildfire Grows Overnight

July 12, 2004
A fire burning cheat grass and shrubs in Tooele County was fanned by high winds and grew by about 600 acres overnight, officials said Monday.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A fire burning cheat grass and shrubs in Tooele County was fanned by high winds and grew by about 600 acres overnight, officials said Monday.

The fire, which started at 5 p.m. Sunday in Dugway about 40 miles west of Salt Lake City, was burning 1,100 acres Monday. It was fueled by erratic, lake-effect winds, said Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Erin Darboven.

Fire crews were pulled off the blaze overnight because winds made the work dangerous, she said.

Three choppers and one heavy air tanker assisted about 110 firefighters on the ground Monday in battling the blaze, which was expected to be contained by 10 p.m.

Investigators found debris at the fire's point of origin, and believe it was caused by fireworks, said BLM spokeswoman Susan Marzec.

Marzec said they were looking for those responsible for causing the fire. BLM officials questioned someone seen leaving the area, but determined that person had nothing to do with causing the fire.

Elsewhere in the state, a 500-acre lightning-caused fire near Vance Springs in the Needle mountains of northwest Beaver County still was burning somewhat within the control lines.

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