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Lightning sets two mountain ranges ablaze
Aug 06, 2009 | 2203 views | 1 
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A helicopter dumps water on a fire in Settlement Canyon Thursday morning. Several fires in Tooele County were ignited Wednesday and Thursday due to lightning.
- photography / Maegan Burr
- photography / Maegan Burr
Erin Darboven, spokeswoman with the West Desert District of the Bureau of Land Management, said a fire in Settlement Canyon, which as of 1 p.m. this afternoon had burned 110 acres, was consuming timber and understory.
“That’s our highest priority right now,” she said.
Darboven added the fire was discovered at 7:24 a.m. this morning, and has threatened Camp Wapiti, causing voluntary evacuations.
“It’s just a precautionary action,” she said. “They’re ready to go if need be.”
The BLM, state, Nature Conservancy, and various volunteer fire departments from the county are responding. Resources deployed include a BLM helicopter. A handcrew and smokejumpers are on order.
The other three fires were also started by lightning in high terrain, making them also difficult for firefighters to reach.
The Engelman fire has burned 30 acres south of Dugway Proving Ground. BLM engines and incident command personnel are among resources deployed there.
A fire in the northern Stansbury Mountain Range near has burned 5 acres.
“We don’t know much about that one. Right now, they’re hiking into it,” Darboven said. “That was reported last night as well, and it’s in a remote area inaccessible from engines. Our helicopter is in Settlement Canyon, so we’re just hiking in there.”
The Pole Canyon fire east of Erda in the Oquirrh Mountains, which Darboven said was visible last night, had burned a few trees by this morning but was growing quickly by the afternoon.
Gusty winds and low relative humidity, in addition to forecasted thunderstorm activity with more lightning strikes, could exacerbate the wildfires, Darboven said.
“We have a red flag warning in effect because of gusting winds, and we could expect to get some lightning-started fires that could erupt later this morning and afternoon,” she said.
The fire in Settlement Canyon is on state lands, while the others are on public lands under the BLM’s jurisdiction.
Sarah Miley: swest@tooeletranscript.com
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I guess Settlement caynon Irr. Company will now cut or watering even more. Why should we suffer for letting them use our water to put fires out on Kennecotts land. Are they giong to bring us more water. Who is going to pay for it?