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NORTH OGDEN — Kids playing with a lighter sparked fire Saturday night that burned about 15 acres in the North Ogden foothills, police said.
About 8:40 p.m., a witness reported seeing four boys — ages 11 to 14 — in the foothills above 3700 North and Lakeview Drive. One of the boys had a lighter and was intentionally burning grass, police said.
"They attempted to put (the fire) out by themselves, but it quickly got out of hand," said Paul Rhoades, spokesman for the North Ogden Police Department. "They were just messing around. They tried to kick it out once they saw it was starting to spread."
They attempted to put (the fire) out by themselves, but it quickly got out of hand. They were just messing around. They tried to kick it out once they saw it was starting to spread.
–Paul Rhoades
Police say they have identified the juveniles involved, and investigators are determining what charges, if any, will be filed.
"We know who they are, and we will be following up with them," Rhoades said.
Crews from five agencies made quick work of the fire, preventing it from spreading to homes to the west. No homes were evacuated, though several residents were warned they may have to leave if the fire moved in their direction, Rhoades said.
"This could have been very dangerous," he said. "With the wet spring we had, we have a lot of grass up there, a lot of tall foliage."
Witnesses described the blaze as a 10- to 15-foot-high wall of fire that appeared to burn in a circle or even a heart. Rhoades said he isn't sure why the fire burned in a circular shape.
Crews from the North View, Ogden, Weber, Plain City and Layton fire departments responded to the fire.
Email: jpage@ksl.com
