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PROVO — Fire crews are working to extinguish a wildfire burning near Vivian Park in Provo Canyon. The fire started late Saturday afternoon, forcing the evacuation of a handful of houses.
The fire was sparked by an explosion near a home along South Fork Road in unincorporated Utah County, according to Wasatch Front Fire Management officer Dave Vickers. It happened at about 5 p.m. and has since burned an estimated 45 to 50 acres, he said.
A handful of homes in the area were evacuated as a precaution, but only three homes remained under the evacuation order as of 9 p.m., according to a social media post from Utah Fire Info.
Here’s a look at how all the aviation assets are working together on this wildfire. There’s a drop 18 seconds in. #SouthForkFire#avgeekpic.twitter.com/KxUt4CuLdH
— Sean Moody (@SeanMoodyKSL) June 17, 2018
The statement from Utah Fire Info said one engine from the Bureau of Land Management, three from Utah County, one from the Forest Service, a 10-person squad and two helicopters were on hand to fight the fire Saturday.
"Right now, the big concern is to make it through the night without any significant wind events, downslope winds during the night, those kind of things," Vickers said.
"We're going to bring crews off the hill tonight," he continued, "but we'll leave crews around the structures down in the canyon so there will be resources here all night."
Several more firefighting teams were expected to arrive later in the evening and will resume work on the fire in the morning.
Earlier in the evening, the occupants of a nearby Girl Scout camp were asked to shelter in place for a period of time, though Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said they weren't in immediate danger. He said there were just a lot of emergency vehicles blocking the roads in the area.
About 200 staff and Girl Scouts were in the camp at the time, according to Callie Birdsall-Chambers, vice president of communications for the Girl Scouts of Utah. But she said once the roads were reopened, everyone was evacuated safely.
The South Fork area is closed until further notice, fire officials said.
Contributing: Sean Moody, KSL TV