OGDEN — The fire this morning at the mouth of Ogden Canyon appears to be intentionally set, says Ogden Fire Deputy Chief Matt Schwenk.The blaze, which started around 6:30 a.m. was 100 percent contained by 9:30 a.m.
The location of the fire about 400 yards west of the mouth of Ogden Canyon and north of 12th Street indicates it was human caused and intentionally set, Schwenk said.
"I think someone purposely set the fire," he said, adding the fuel source was vegetation.
The Ogden Fire Marshall, two city police detectives and an investigator from the U.S. Forest Service are investigating the blaze that destroyed about 15 acres and caused minor damage to gutters and downspouts at a home on 1350 South, said Schwenk.
Schwenk said he was not aware if a suspect has been identified.
Fire crews from Ogden, South Ogden, Weber and the U.S. Forest Service battled the fire for several hours to keep it away from homes in the area, said Schwenk.
Crews will spend the rest of the day mopping up hot spots, while residents took inventory of fences, trees, bushes and siding that were damaged.
Firefighters were dispatched at 6:30 a.m., Schwenk said. The fire started near the Bonneville Shoreline trailhead at the mouth of the canyon and moved up the hillside toward nearby neighborhoods, burning between 10 and 15 acres. No specific cause has been determined,
Ogden Canyon Road was closed at Harrison Boulevard until fire crews extinguished the fire.
Between 40 to 50 homes on Maxfield Drive north of 1300 South as well as homes on the south side of 1350 South were evacuated, as were the Canyon Terrace Condominium. Residents were allowed back to their homes about 9:30 a.m.
Schwenk said canyon winds at 20 mph, with gusts between 25 mph and 30 mph, whipped the flames through the dry, thick vegetation along the hillside towards the homes.
"Crews got on the high side of the fire and poured water on the flames as soon as they could," Schwenk said.
A few homes received minor damages from the heat, he said. Some fences were burned as the fire got as close as 30 feet to homes, but crews were able to stop the fire from getting to the homes.
Comments