The Dikker Hill fire had grown to 361 acres Thursday afternoon. It’s burning halfway between Coalville and Henefer, about 5 miles from each.
Northern Utah Type 3 incident management team spokesperson Brian Trick says firefighting efforts combined with lower temperatures and higher humidity overnight helped crews gain ground.
“We actually got some early morning rain, which is always great. And then we had resources out there as early as 8 a.m. doing work,” he said. “It's not growing. In fact, I'm not even sure folks could see smoke anymore, which is always a really good sign.”
Investigators determined the blaze was human-caused Thursday afternoon. No other details about how it sparked were immediately available.
Officials said the fire was 0% contained after the first night. Trick said he expects firefighters will have the flames partially contained by the evening of July 25.
Four helicopters, two hand crews, three bulldozers and 10 engines have been called in so far.
He says crews have set up a fireline and are using water, not retardant, to dampen the flames. A portion of the nearby Echo Reservoir has been closed off so the helicopters can make water runs as needed.
“The ground resources spread out along the perimeter, along the line, working the line,” Trick said, “and when needed, they can actually call for the helicopter that can come and bring water to a very specific spot.”
Utah Fire Info reported the blaze started just after 4 p.m. on Pioneer Day.
It grew to more than 200 acres in just hours. Trick says that’s to be expected with grass and oakbrush fires this time of year.
Firefighters tried to evacuate the lone home threatened by the fire July 24.
“They knocked on the door,” he said. “They didn't get a response, but they did station engines there all night. And now it’s actually believed that individual might not be home.”
The fire also posed a threat to underground gas and power lines. It had not impacted Interstates 84 and 80 to the east as of July 25.
Trick’s Type 3 incident response team took command of the fire early Thursday morning.
Fires range in complexity from Type 5, the least severe, to Type 1, the most severe and complex.
“A Type 3 fire, that's kind of the first level where a team would be ordered,” Trick said. “The nice thing about teams is it’s this pre-built roster of folks that when given the call, will show up and they fill all of these different functions.”
The roster includes local, state and federal agencies.
So far, no injuries have been reported.
This is a developing story.
