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PROVO — At least one person will be fined for accidentally starting a fire on Y Mountain Tuesday, Provo fire officials said.
About a dozen people from the U.S. Forest Service were mopping up the two acre fire about midday Wednesday. It was reported about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday when a group of college-aged people were on the Y, said Provo Fire Capt. Dean York.
"Witnesses came forward saying they had lit Chinese lanterns," he said.
One man eventually confessed to lighting a lantern, York said. That man was issued a ticket that comes with a minimum $500 fine, and could be forced to pay for fire suppression efforts, which as of Wednesday included the cost of a helicopter, he said.
The U.S. Forest Service took over command of the fire from the Provo City Fire Department about 2 a.m. Wednesday.
By Wednesday morning, a helicopter was dumping water on the fire and dropping off 75-gallon pods of water for ground crews who continued building a fire line.
The first arriving crews on Tuesday night reported wind-fueled flames up to 30 feet high, York said, making the fire highly visible throughout Utah County. No structures were threatened.
The lanterns are made with a candle and light paper that rises into the air. And while they are popular among many residents, York said they're also illegal. Fire officials say the open flame that fuels the lanterns and the fact there's no control over where they'll land makes them very dangerous
The Y Mountain trailhead was closed for some time during the day while crews fought the fire but by 8 p.m. the blaze was contained and the trail reopened.
Contributing: Shara Park
