- Two grass fires ignited in Utah as fire weather alerts were issued.
- Santaquin and Salt Lake City experienced grass fires; causes remain under investigation.
- National Weather Service issued warnings for wind and low humidity in Utah.
SALT LAKE CITY — Two grass fires started in two different cities on Tuesday, just as the National Weather Service sent out multiple warnings in relation to the elevated risk of fires starting in the state.
One grass fire started on Tuesday just before 10 a.m. in Santaquin, according to the Santaquin City Fire Department.
"The cause of this fire is unknown, but with fire conditions so volatile, it could have been something as simple as a spark from a trailer chain or a flipped cigarette butt," the Santaquin Fire Department said. "Please be fire-aware in all your outdoor activities."
That fire was put out with the help of the Rocky Ridge Fire Department and the Bureau of Land Management, with no structures threatened.
Another grass fire started at 3065 West California Avenue in Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake City Fire Department said that the fire was about an acre in size and was located behind the Smith Power Products building.
The fire was still under investigation after firefighters got the flames under control.
Fire weather watch
Two fire weather watch warnings were issued by the National Weather Service for several parts of Utah on Tuesday.
Both weather alerts were issued for wind and low relative humidity. Areas affected in the first weather alert were weather zones 478, 492 and 495. Those zone numbers stood for the Salt Lake Desert, Central Utah West Desert and Color County West Desert.
"Critical fire weather conditions are expected," both weather alerts said. "Any new fire starts or existing fires may spread rapidly."
Areas affected in the second fire weather watch warning included fire weather zone 497: the Mojave Desert.
Areas mentioned in both warnings can expect each weather alert to be in effect from Friday afternoon to late Friday night.
Red flag warnings
At least seven red flag warnings were sent out between Monday and Tuesday. Two of those warnings were focused on the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City.
"A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now...or are imminent," the National Weather Service said. "A combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior."
Areas affected by these warnings included multiple fire weather zones and were spread throughout Utah, Idaho and Albuquerque, New Mexico
The two weather alerts focused on Salt Lake City included fire weather zones 484, 494, 496 and 498. Those zones were listed as Tavaputs Plateau, Henry Mountains, Color Country Mountains and Grand Staircase.
The second alert was for fire weather zones 482, 488, 489 and 493. Those zones were listed as Western Uintah Basin, Manti National Forest, San Rafael Swell and Central Utah Mountains.
The two Salt Lake red flag warnings were in effect on Tuesday and were expected to remain that way until Wednesday at 9 p.m.
