GOSHEN, Utah County — Crews are getting a good handle on a human-caused wildfire burning in Utah County, as officials say it is 50% contained.
The Goshen Fire sparked Tuesday afternoon, just south of the city, growing initially from an estimated 15 acres to approximately 400 acres in a span of hours, according to Karl Hunt, public information officer with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.
"Any fire over 100 acres is a large fire, and you know, we've got crews on all sides, working on ways to engage the fire. But with the wind, they're ... prioritizing firefighter safety, and so they'll engage the fires (where) they find opportunities," he told KSL.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the fire had burned approximately 408 acres.
The fire prompted evacuations of three homes near Goshen Canyon for a time, but were lifted around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Crews from Santaquin, Utah County, Goshen, Genola, Rocky Ridge and Eureka were among other agencies fighting the blaze.
Hunt said three homes near the mouth of the canyon were evacuated. Officials hoped to have those residents back in their homes Tuesday night.
Video sent to KSL shows a large cloud of smoke emerging from Goshen Canyon on Tuesday afternoon.
The fire is actively burning on state lands, but activity is expected to decrease after sunset, according to Utah Fire Info.
Investigators say it appears the fire may have been sparked by target shooting in the area.
"You know, a lot of Utah's experiencing extreme drought conditions, and so that's just something that when people are outside recreating — to take precautions to not create a spark that could cause a wildfire, because this is just an indication that a small spark can grow into something a lot larger," he said.
