Utah fires burn 3,500 acres, 1,600 homes evacuated
September 20th, 2010 - 8:22 pm ICT by BNO NewsSALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (BNO NEWS) — Around 1,600 homes have been evacuated as fires have swarmed and burned 3,500 acres of land and 4 homes in Herriman, Utah, southwest of Salt Lake City.
Two firefighters were reportedly injured as ongoing efforts continue to fight the fires, but no residents have been injured.
Utah National Guard Spokesman Lt. Colonel Hank McIntire said the fire began during a National Guard training session at Camp William’s machine gun range when a soldier’s round sparked and ignited dry brush at around 12 p.m. local time.
However, the Unified Fire Authority was contacted three hours and a half after the incident began. McIntire explained that the National Guard addressed the fire with on-site equipment as the blaze acted normal, but soon after, strong winds hit the area, making the fire uncontrollable.
“With the wind with the way it is today conditions can change very quickly,” McIntire said. “So if a unit had the green light to train but the conditions changed, that’s what we’re trying to find out.”
“It’s been pretty frightening for me. I’ve seen at least three, four homes burn down, completely collapse,” Joshua Bennett, a Herriman resident, told KSL. “It’s basically hell. Just out of control. There’s no stopping it.”
As of 3:30 p.m. Sunday, around 100 firefighters have been fighting the blaze, while 124 guardsmen have already been activated.
Seven schools, five elementary, one middle, and one high school, have been close due to the fires. The American Red Cross is using Herriman High School as a shelter for displaced families even though classes are not being held. Eighty-three people reportedly stayed there overnight.
A Declaration of Emergency has been issued by Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, which will release funds for fighting the fires, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency has also authorized federal funds to pay 75 percent of the state’s eligible fire fighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires.
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