UTAH COUNTY, Utah, Oct. 19, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Utah County’s Range Fire is now 33% contained at 3,496 acres, officials said Wednesday morning.
There was minimal growth on the Range Fire Tuesday, said a tweet from Utah Fire Info. Firefighters will be challenged Wednesday by critical fire weather conditions and a Red Flag Warning has been issued for the fire area, the tweet said.
Tuesday night, Rocky Mountain Power tweeted: “Forecasted weather conditions Wednesday and Thursday — low humidity, dry vegetation, winds and elevated counts on key weather indexes — could meet the criteria for a Public Safety Power Shut-off in the Sundance and Summit Park communities.
“Customers in affected areas will receive follow-up notifications in advance should a shut-off event be initiated. For all non-emergency questions about the Public Safety Power Shutoff watch, customers and the public should call Rocky Mountain Power at 1-888-221-7070.”
The fire was caused by a target shooter, officials said Monday morning.
“Investigators determined that the #RangeFire originated at the Orem Police Gun Range and was caused by target shooting,” said a tweet from Utah Fire Info. “The Orem police officer present when the fire started is cooperating with officials. The investigation is ongoing; more information will be shared when it’s available.”
A previous tweet from Utah Fire Info Monday morning said the fire was 3,450 acres with 10% containment. “Fire activity was minimal overnight, growth was significantly slowed by natural features,” the tweet said.
Officials said Sunday afternoon the fire had grown to 3,000 acres and was heading north.
The fire was mapped at 1,460 acres earlier Sunday morning.
The blaze, which started Saturday afternoon, spread rapidly, prompting evacuations near the mouth of Provo Canyon by Saturday night. Those evacuations were lifted Sunday morning.
Gephardt Daily will have more on this developing story as information is made available.
