Layton Fire Makes Way For Mudslide Concerns

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Lance Bandley reporting About two dozen Layton homeowners are safe from fire, but now the hillside is bare, the grass is gone, and all that's left is black and brown dirt with charred tree carcasses poking up. The ground is also muddy and just one serious rain storm could cause major problems.

"What we look for from a debris-flow standpoint is how much of the area is burned, how severely is it burned," says Utah Geological Survey senior geologist Rich Giraud. The threat on a bare hillside like this lasts for two to three years.

"In northern Utah between 2000 and 2004, we triggered 26 debris flows from seven burn areas," say Giraud.

Giraud says one strong thunderstorm producing just .4 inches of rain could cause flooding. He says a storm like that hits almost every two years.