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SARATOGA SPRINGS — Several fires are burning across the state Thursday morning. One of them started around 8 p.m. Wednesday south of Saratoga Springs.
Firefighters worked late into the night to control that fire. The flames burned about 300 acres along Redwood Road near the clay pits.
"The night crews burned a section between the road and the main burn area, so a lot of acreage came from that burn," explained Jason Curry with the Utah Division of Forestry.
That fire is now contained. Firefighters say it is the second human caused fire in less than 24 hours.
Duchesne fire
The other human caused fire was in Duchesne County Wednesday night.
Mike Lefler of the Duchesne County Fire Department said, "When I arrived on scene, the structure was fully engulfed. There was still some structure left."
A barbecue gone wrong sparked the 40 acre blaze that destroyed one home and sent one person to the hospital. Jason Keele watched as firefighters battled to save his Tabiona home. He says the fire spread quickly, moving up the hillside, catching wild grass on fire.
"There was smoke everywhere," he said. "Fire was literally eight feet from my house."
Sunrise Mine fire
The fire in Duchesne is now contained, but another fire has crews working around the clock in the Manti La Salle National Forest in southeast Utah.
The Sunrise Mine Fire is now 70 percent contained, but the fire has already burned more than 6,000 acres. It started May 25 and the cause remains under investigation.
Already this year, more than 120 fires have been reported, most of them human caused. Last week Gov. Gary Herbert asked everyone in the state to be aware of dry conditions and be careful.
