Overview
- Investigators said Tuesday that crews extinguished a half-acre brush fire in Layton that likely began when a squirrel contacted a power line and was electrocuted before falling into dry grass.
- Later Tuesday, firefighters put out a one-acre field fire in Saratoga Springs that officials say was started by children playing with matches and caused no injuries.
- Fire crews battled several other small brush fires across the Wasatch Front the same day, stretching local resources and prompting daily readiness checks by departments.
- Larger blazes remain active elsewhere in the state, with the South Mountain Fire burning about 1,800 acres at partial containment and the Tower Fire at roughly 1,300 acres and partial containment.
- Officials warned that continued drought and warm, dry spring weather make human behaviors such as target shooting and careless use of fire much more likely to start major incidents, and they urged residents to avoid risky actions and follow local rules to reduce ignitions.