Fireworks sparked new wildfire near homes in Utah County

A new wildfire burning Wednesday evening on the hillside near Cedar Hills in Utah County is threatening structures, fire officials said.

A new wildfire burning Wednesday evening on the hillside near Cedar Hills in Utah County is threatening structures, fire officials said. (Jenny Butler)


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CEDAR HILLS, Utah County — Fire officials believe fireworks started a wildfire near homes Wednesday evening on the hillside near Cedar Hills in Utah County.

The blaze, dubbed the Cedar Hills Fire 2025, was human-caused and was burning an estimated 14 acres as of late Wednesday. Officials said forward progression of the fire had not stopped, and there are 150 homes near the fire's impact.

The fire is 20% contained.

Also, "black edge" fire — when the fire appears black — is a couple hundred yards away from homes, according to Justin Roach, the Wasatch area manager with the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.

No buildings have been damaged as of about 9:30 p.m., American Fork Fire Battalion Chief Brandon Boshard said.

Some residents have not been able to get to their homes. Firefighters went door-to-door evacuating some residents in townhomes closest to the fire, KSL-TV reported. It's unclear how many people were told to leave their homes. The evacuations were expected to be lifted at 11 p.m., according to Utah Fire Info.

Boshard said the brush fire started on the foothills of Mahogany Mountain at the foot of Mount Timpanogos.

Preventing the loss of homes is crews' No. 1 priority, he said.

Multiple aircraft are responding to the wildfire as it burns in "light, flashy fuels," officials said. It started on private land but moved to U.S. Forest Service land. A photo of the fire showed flames relatively close to homes beneath.

Officials urged people to avoid the area and not to fly drones.

Firefighters are concerned the wind could shift through the evening and push the fire down the mountain, endangering homes, Boshard said.

He also said that crew will work through the night Wednesday and into Thursday.

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Ashley Imlay is an evening news manager for KSL.com. A lifelong Utahn, Ashley has also worked as a reporter for the Deseret News and is a graduate of Dixie State University.
Ivy Farguheson is a reporter for KSL.com. She has worked as a journalist in Indiana, Wisconsin and Maryland.
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