Controlled burn in Farmington Bay hits invasive species, produces large smoke plume

FARMINGTON — Utah firefighters say they've completed a pair of controlled fires near the Great Salt Lake that strategically burned approximately 5,000 acres of land near the Great Salt Lake.

A large plume of smoke towered over Davis County on Monday as part of what started as a 1,500-acre controlled burn in one unit near Farmington Bay. The Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands said the prescribed burn was extended to another unit because of a "shift in weather conditions."

Smoke was visible near Bountiful and the surrounding areas. People in the community were told to avoid the burn area, but there was also no reason to report it to authorities, state firefighters said.

The burn was designed to burn phragmites, a species of reed invasive to the Great Salt Lake, a spokesperson from the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands said.

"This critical work controls invasive phragmites, restoring vital habitats for migratory birds and clearing the way for crucial water to reach the Great Salt Lake," officials wrote in an update on Tuesday.

Video posted to the National Weather Service's 'X' account showed a timelapse of how the plume of smoke had developed over time on Monday.

Residents reported to KSL that ash could be seen falling across Davis County from pyrocumulus clouds that formed over the massive controlled burn.

The South Weber Fire Department addressed concerns regarding the falling ash in a statement on Monday afternoon.

"The purpose of this controlled burn is twofold: to reduce hazardous fuels and mitigate the spread of phragmites, an invasive plant species that consumes excessive water. Key details of the burn include its location along the Farmington Bay and Great Salt Lake shores near Bountiful," the statement from the department reads in part.

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