OGDEN, Utah — Officials say illegal fireworks were possibly responsible for a brush fire that destroyed one home, four outbuildings in Ogden early Sunday morning.
The 9th Street Fire, now estimated to be 3 acres, is confirmed to be 85% contained. All evacuations have since been lifted. The cause is determined to be human-caused.
One structure and four outbuildings were lost.
Weber Fire District says the call came in around 12:30 a.m. reporting a grass fire at the 9th Street Trailhead. One home in the area was severely damaged, and another 40 homes were threatened, prompting evacuations. The damaged home was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and the exact damages have yet to be calculated.
"We got the progression stopped to the north," says Weber County Fire Warden Richard Cooper. "[Fire crews] immediately set up what we call a structure protection division, which stopped the progression coming into the homes."
The sloping terrain and winds blow at nearly 20 miles-per-hour made suppression efforts tricky for fire crews. Cooper says fires like this one highlight the importance of homeowners maintaining a defensible space, particularly if they live near wildland areas.
"The best thing to do is create a good, solid defensible space when you manage your property," says Cooper. "Clean the yard up, keep the grass and the weeds mowed down, keep debris from collecting around the house...."
