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HERRIMAN — Unified fire investigators believe a recent series of small brush fires from Eagle Mountain to Parleys Canyon are connected.
"They are calling them suspicious in nature. They were all found to be caused by humans, seemingly intentionally set. There were no signs of accidental ignition," Unified Fire Authority spokesman Matthew McFarland said Thursday.
The first incident happened July 15 near 7560 W. 14900 South. Just before 4:30 p.m., a small field fire was set in this area, he said. Within 30 minutes, two more fires were set, one of state Route 201 near Kennecott and the other near the first fire.
All three fires only burned about an acre each. But if not for the quick action of firefighters, McFarland said strong winds had the potential to push the flames into nearby homes.
"We were lucky in all of them that we got resources there fast and we got them contained in a hurry," he said.
The next day, another fire was set in Eagle Mountain about 2:45 p.m. in the Five Mile Pass area, near 2299 West and state Route 73. Like the previous incident, two more small fires were reported in that same area within a short time frame, McFarland said.
On Wednesday, a fire was reported at the mouth of Parleys Canyon near I-80 about 6:15 p.m. Other fires were reported nearby shortly after. In this case, McFarland said an additional three fires were reported in the Knudsens Corner area near 6200 S. Wasatch Dr.
Although all three incidents were believed to be connected, McFarland said there was no evidence Thursday to connect any of the fires with the destructive Tooele fire or recent fires in South Jordan, Farmington or Centerville.
Anyone with information on any of the fires can call police at 801-840-4000.
