Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
(KSL/AP) - Draper residents are happy to be in their homes this morning, after an unlikely wildfire threatened to burn them down.
The fire was first reported around 4 pm in the area of 114th South and 7th East, in Mahraban Wetland Park.
After days of warm, dry weather, the wetland was not wet.
Capt. Jay Torgersen, Unified Fire Authority: "But the vegetation growing above the water was significantly dry."
The fire burned about ten acres in the open space that separates the two subdivisions. Fire officials called for voluntary evacuations.
Captain Jay Torgersen of the Unified Fire Authority says several hundred feet of vinyl fence were burned and the vinyl siding melted off of at least one house.
No other serious damage or injuries were reported.
Julie Tate: "We pulled out and looked back and flames were nearing the house, inching by the house closer and closer. The flames were thirty to forty feet in the air. That was as close to losing everything as I've ever been."
Bill Bullock: "It definitely could have been a lot worse. Just talking to my wife earlier about this, we were lucky we didn't lose the house."
When the fire started, Haley Tate was having a party for her twelfth birthday.
Haley Tate: "Were just having a birthday party at my house. My brother came down and said there is fire in the wetlands, and I was like yeah...I'm sure. "
Torgersen says several witnesses say they saw children running from the area shortly before the fire.
The fire remains under investigation.
If you have any information that may help the fire investigation, please call the Arson Hotline at 801 582-7766.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
