Mandatory Evacuations Issued as Wildfire Engulfs Salt Lake City, Over 100 Firefighters Respond

Salt Lake City officials have ordered residents to evacuate certain areas due to a wildfire, with over 100 firefighters working to contain the blaze.

Helicopters and airplanes were dropping water on the flames on Saturday as ground crews worked to control the fire on Ensign Peak.

The initial fire crew was dispatched around 4:30 p.m., and more than six different emergency agencies have joined the effort to stop the brush fire, said Division Chief Bob Silverthorne of the Salt Lake City Fire Department at a press briefing.

The fire department issued a mandatory evacuation order for an area encompassing 40 homes on Sandhurst Drive, north of Dorchester Drive, and the police department was going door-to-door to notify residents. Other areas were undergoing voluntary evacuations, Silverthorne stated.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or property damage, he said.

Officials were unable to determine the exact cause or origin of the wildfire and could not immediately provide the acreage affected or the percentage contained by firefighters, he said.

The area’s heat and wind hindered a clear assessment of the fire’s movement, but the conditions could lead to a “rapidly spreading fire,” prompting officials to issue early warnings, he explained.

A building at the Utah Capitol, located about 1.2 miles (1.9 kilometers) from Ensign Peak, was being used as a safe haven for those who had evacuated and sought refuge from the heat outside, Silverthorne said.