Multiple crews battling large wildfire in Box Elder County


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KELTON, Box Elder County — A wildfire reported Friday evening in northwestern Utah has already spread to at least 8,000 acres in size, fire officials said.

Box Elder County Fire Marshal Corey Barton said the fire, dubbed the Peplin Fire, was reported in a mountain range south of Kelton at 5:30 p.m. when wind knocked over a charcoal grill a camper was cooking on and spilled hot briquettes onto the dry grass in the area.

"One person was injured trying to put the fire out before the arrival of the fire crews but refused transport (to a hospital) at the time," Barton said. "They did go to a local emergency room with burns."

However, Barton did not know the extent of the person's injuries or their condition. He added he was unsure if any charges will be filed against the individual that caused the fire.

Seven local departments are helping fight the wildfire, along with the Utah Forestry Fire, State Lands, and Bureau of Land Management agencies, and air support from Salt Lake City.

Barton said 18 percent of the fire has been contained as of Saturday morning and that crews expect to have full containment by Saturday evening. However, he said crews will likely remain in the area for about the next week to make sure no ashes or sparks rekindle fires nearby the Peplin Fire.

No structures or homes were being threatened by the fire.

The cost of the fire extinguishment has exceeded more than $70,000 as of Saturday morning, Barton added.

Though the Peplin Fire is in a remote area, Barton said the dry conditions and high winds helped fan the fire quickly, and individuals anywhere in the county area should be careful because of the dry conditions.

He urged anyone looking to camp in the area to obey any fire restrictions posted by Box Elder County.

"We're getting fire daily along the freeway from flat tires — just sparks from a flat tire and the rim are causing fires along our interstate right now," Barton said. "Any little spark, any little ash, anything — conditions are extremely dry and we haven't seen the worst of it yet. It's still going to continue to dry out more."

The fire was 85 percent contained as of 6:20 p.m. Saturday.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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