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SALT LAKE CITY — Officials say the fire in the mountains east of Red Butte Garden is 40 percent contained and no longer poses a danger to buildings.
Salt Lake Fire Cpt. Mark Bednarik said the gardens and the Natural History Museum were saved but called it a close call, with flames at times coming as close as 150 yards to structures.
If it gets into that, it would not only be sad, but it would go through the Red Butte Garden, if not checked.
–J.T. Martin
The fire, which has consumed 20 acres of the mountainside, began just before 2:30 p.m. Sunday. A crew of 120 firefighters from multiple agencies battled the flames, aided by aircraft. Bednarik said the pilots would stop flying at dark but firefighters would continue working throughout the night.
Conditions were so dry, sometimes the the fire burned down hill, even against the wind. But hand crews scrambled into the steep, rocky terrain to make sure the fire didn't move into the prized buildings on the city's eastern fringe.
The new Museum of Natural History, to the relief of the fire fighters, was built with a half a dozen wildfire standpipes, similar to fire hydrants.
"That really made it nice that the building is protected that way," said city councilman J.T. Martin.
The aerial bombardment began within an hour of fire crews being dispatched. Helicopters dipped water from the nearby reservoirs and dumped it on strategic locations.
This is a popular trail up here, the Red Butte Trail. We haven't heard anything from any witnesses as to how this fire started.
–Mark Bednarik
Just before evening, the wind pushed the fire toward a heavy stand of oak tress in a key area, which had officials concerned.
"If it gets into that, it would not only be sad, but it would go through the Red Butte Garden, if not checked," Martin said.
In the early evening, fixed-wing aircraft's started chemical retardant drops. However, the fire continued to burn at higher elevations, threatening a nearby radio tower.
"We're calling it 40 percent contained at this time, with 100 percent contained on the western front," Bednarik said. "And all the buildings we were concerned about, as well as the Chevron pipeline, have been protected."
The cause of the fire is still unknown, Bednarik said, but investigators have not ruled out human involvement. A group of investigators is scheduled to explore the area in the morning.
"This is a popular trail up here, the Red Butte Trail," Bednarik said. "We haven't heard anything from any witnesses as to how this fire started."
As of Sunday evening there had been no reported injuries, Bednarik said. While he could not speculate on when the fire would be contained he said crews were optimistic of having a perimeter in place by Monday morning.
If you have information about how the fire was started, you are encouraged to call the University of Utah Police Department at 801-585-COPS(2677).
Story written by Benjamin Wood and John Hollenhorst.
