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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Officials say there's been a surge in the number of unattended campfires this season in northern Utah's Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest compared to previous years.
The U.S. Forest Service reported that there have been 262 abandoned fires this summer, with 53 of them escaping and requiring fire suppression efforts.
A wildfire that has been burning in the western Uinta Mountains for the past three weeks has been blamed on such an incident.
Forest spokeswoman Loyal Clark says officials haven't identified who is responsible for the 3,000-acre fire or any of the other abandoned campfires.
Investigators have found evidence of fires in undeveloped and hazardous camping areas with dry grasses and overhanging branches.
Campers are legally responsible for abandoned campfires and can be charged for the costs of any resulting wildfires.
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