It started as two small brush fires along the Parleys Canyon interstate. By mid afternoon, it had spread to about 3,000 acres.
The first flames sparked between Lambs Canyon and Parleys Summit sometime before 2:00. UtahFireInfo.gov reported the cause to be a malfunctioning piece of equipment on a vehicle.
The fast spread was fueled in part by winds blowing up the canyon. This forced residents of Summit Park, then Pinebrook to evacuate their homes.
Saturday evening, Summit County officials said evacuees would not be able to return until Sunday evening or Monday.
Multiple agencies fought the blazes with air and ground crews early Saturday afternoon, including Park City Fire District, the United Fire Authority agencies and others. At least 12 aircraft were reported fighting the blaze.
The fire remained 0% contained into the evening. Park City Fire Chief Patrick Harwood said it was likely to die down going into the night. The department expected Sunday to be “a very active fire day.”
Derek Siddoway of Summit County told KPCW the structure in Summit County nearest to the blaze was still 3/4 of a mile away Saturday evening.
According to Summit County Sheriff Justin Martinez, businesses in the lower Pinebrook area will be allowed to open Sunday, despite the evacuations.
The American Red Cross set up a shelter at Park City High School. It offered evacuees food, water and shelter.
About 2,461 Rocky Mountain Power customers lost power in Park City due to fire and smoke. Power was restored around 5 p.m.
The Park City outlets closed due to power outage. The Indigo Girls concert scheduled at Deer Valley was postponed. A concert at Canyons Village and other events in town were cancelled.
