Draper wildfire fully contained; 2nd fire burning in Box Elder County

DRAPER — Crews battled a fast-moving grass fire in Corner Canyon on Wednesday that forced the evacuation of dozens of homes.

The fire forced 39 families to flee their homes and burned an estimated 37 acres, according to Unified Fire Authority. The fire was reported to be fully contained by 8:30 p.m.

Multiple fire agencies prevented any structures from getting caught in the flames, Unified fire spokesman Eric Holmes said.

Crews were initially called just before 1:30 a.m. to a fast-moving grass fire that had burned about 23 acres near the Orson Smith Trailhead, 12625 Highland Drive, but had yet to burn near any homes. However, strong winds through the canyon quickly whipped the flames, pushing them toward several structures.

"We had multiple crews on both flanks of the fire," Holmes said. "Multiple homes were threatened throughout the entire fire, (but) none were lost."

As the fire grew, residents were evacuated and moved temporarily to an emergency shelter set up at an LDS Church building in Draper. After hours of crews fighting the flames, all evacuees were allowed to return to their homes at 12:45 p.m.

Brian Ramos and his wife packed bags for their four kids as the fire move toward their home about 2 a.m. They have lived in the newly constructed house for only two months.

"We just watched it get closer," Ramos said. "There are a lot of big trees behind our home, so we were worried about that, but there were (firefighters) from all over the valley out here, so that gave us some comfort. As soon as they pulled into our backyard and started creating a fireline, it felt like we had it under control."

But as soon as it looked like firefighters were getting ahead of the fire, the winds would shift, whipping it back up, he said.

"We were just nervous. The whole neighborhood was nervous," Ramos said. "It was unpredictable."

When daylight came, he remarked on the size of the burn scar that sits close to his neighborhood. It left him thinking about his kids and the best way to be ready to evacuate his family in the future, if needed.

"It makes you think about what to grab, what to bring, the best way to get the kids out," he said.

Adam Faltmo was awakened about 3 a.m. by a knock on the door as police told him and his family they needed to evacuate.

"I just grabbed whatever I could and got out of there," Faltmo said. "Obviously in these situations you have to think about what's important, so I grabbed things that were not replaceable like my school work, my work laptop and things like that. I got out of there."

As they left their homes, his neighbors tried to stay calm, Faltmo said. He and his wife went first to a nearby store, then came back to the neighborhood to monitor the fire's progress.

"The flames were very massive, especially from a distance," Faltmo said.

Corner Canyon has experienced fires in the past, and Faltmo has seen some of them. But Wednesday was the first time a fire forced him from his home.

Ultimately, only some landscaping and fences were damaged in the wildfire, Holmes said. Flames came within 70 feet of some homes as crews fought the fire with hand lines and burned back areas with small fuels.

It is still unknown exactly where and how the fire started, Holmes said. Anyone with information is asked to call U.S. Forest Service law enforcement at 801-733-2668.

No firefighters or members of the public were injured in the fire.

The Corner Canyon Trailhead and the Orson Smith Trailhead, as well as the Hidden Valley Trailhead in Sandy, were closed Wednesday as crews worked. The public was asked to stay out of affected neighborhoods, with an added reminder not to fly drones in the area.

Fire crews were expected to put out hot spots overnight.

Meanwhile in Box Elder County, a wildfire that started close to the Washakie Renewable Energy plant near Plymouth reached 5,000 acres Wednesday evening.

The fire was human-caused and began around 11:30 a.m., said Box Elder County Fire Marshal Corey Barton, though it was not immediately known whether it resulted from arson or an accident.

The rapid spread of the fire is due to hot, dry conditions that are "just very extreme," Barton said.

"With the high temperatures and the low humidity, it’s extremely dangerous," he said. "It’s kind of the worst conditions we can have right now."

The fire was zero percent contained Wednesday evening and had jumped some established fire lines, Barton said.

"No structures (are) threatened at this time," he said, "… but if the wind shifts, it could get more dangerous."

In addition to Box Elder fire crews, the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, Bureau of Land Management and the Plymouth, Portage, Fielding and Garland fire departments, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services were fighting the Plymouth Fire.

Contributing: Pat Reavy, Shara Park, Ladd Egan, Ben Lockhart, Nicole Vowell

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