June 18, 2001--
Firefighters fear this summer could be the west's worst fire season ever.
A severe shortage of rain coupled with lots of dry brush make Utah and the rest of the western states ripe for wildfires.
News Specialist Jill Atwood has the story.
Tonight one of the worst wildfires is burning in Northern California. Strong winds whipped these flames across the Sierra Nevadas taking it from 50 acres to more than 17 thousand acres..in just a few hours..that's how fast it can happen.
Here in Utah...the threat is equally high, and we could find ourselves in the same situation if we're not careful. Yesterday in Bluffdale wildland teams got their first real taste of what could be a very long summer. This brush fire started about noon yesterday, and it took about 80 firefighters quite a while to get it under control. Crews still aren't sure what started it, but near-by homeowners did say they spotted dirt bikers riding in the area right before.
Firefighters believe their exhausts could have sparked some dry brush..which leads us to our next point.
Most wildfires are a result of human error.
Capt. Mike Watson/Salt Lake Co. Fire Wildland Team - BE CAREFUL WITH CAMPFIRES..DON'T LET THEM GET OUT OF HAND..MAKE SURE YOU PUT THEM IN WISE PLACES, A FIREBOX IS RECOMMENDED. MAKE SURE THEY'RE PUT OUT BEFORE YOU LEAVE THEM, AND THEN MACHINERY..WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WITH THAT TOO..GENERATORS..OR ANYTHING THAT THROWS SPARKS.
Also keep your yards neat and clean, and free of dry brush...if a wildfire should spread and begin to threaten homes..you don't want to provide the fire even more fuel.
Salt Lake County's Wildland Team is well trained, and will be ready to go on a moment's notice..still they need as much support from us..in the form of just using good common sense.
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