Update: As of Saturday, Aug. 19, the Morgan County Fire Department declared the fire controlled. It will continue to monitor the fire until it is fully out.
A wildfire in East Canyon is still burning Friday morning. At 11 a.m. Morgan County Fire Chief Boyd Carrigan said it is around 30 acres in size.
The fire is remote, so no structures or people are in danger. Because of the storm and the remote location, Morgan County fire used a drone to monitor the fire as night fell.
Carrigan said firefighters got there in person Friday morning.
“It's about 10% contained,” the fire chief said. “And with the moisture that came in, it's really not moving much on us at all.”
Carrigan said firefighters’ goal is to have the fire contained by the end of Friday.
No evacuations are needed. The fire is west of East Canyon Reservoir, and Carrigan said people recreating there aren’t in danger but should be aware fire operations are underway nearby.
Summit and Morgan county fire personnel believe lightning from Thursday afternoon’s severe thunderstorm caused the East Canyon fire and another in Crandall Canyon above Rockport Reservoir.
North Summit Fire Service District and Summit County Wildland Fire personnel responded to the fire near Rockport, which was smaller. It was contained and extinguished Thursday.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flooding warning for Wasatch County Thursday around 2 p.m., and the agency’s Salt Lake City office said Friday there will still be an elevated threat for flash flooding through next week.
The Summit County Sheriff’s Office said Hoytsville experienced flooding Thursday, but deputies didn’t receive reports of severe damage.
According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Hilary is the source of Utah’s wet and severe weather. The hurricane formed Wednesday near Mexico’s west coast and strengthened into a category 4 Friday.
Hilary is expected to reach California late Sunday, and it may lose strength. The National Weather Service has issued a tropical storm watch for southern California.
The agency expects rainfall in the southwestern U.S. to peak this weekend into Monday.
