SALT LAKE CITY — People living below the Bonneville Fire can breathe a little easier after fire officials lifted the "READY" status for Arlington Hills on Monday.
Fire officials said the immediate threat to the neighborhood is gone, though crews are still working to fully contain the fire burning above the University of Utah.
The Bonneville Fire is estimated at 566 acres and remains 5% contained. Officials said that containment number is expected to increase Monday night as crews finish reporting which parts of the fire line are secure.
“We’ve seen great success on this fire today,” said Sierra Hellstrom, a public information officer with the Northern Utah Type 3 Incident Management Team. “The weather last night helped as well as all of the work that the firefighters and the ground crews and the air crews did yesterday. We boxed this thing in.”
Hellstrom said crews have been able to get around the fire and create fuel breaks to help keep it from growing toward nearby communities.
“For this fire, those residents can sleep easy,” Hellstrom said. “The firefighters have done their job.”
About 150 personnel remain on the fire. Structure protection crews are also staying in nearby neighborhoods as a precaution until the fire is fully contained.
For people living in Arlington Hills, the READY status meant different things from house to house.
Ken Snow said he started packing Saturday night when the fire felt more concerning.
“We kind of assembled a kit of important valuables and personal possessions,” Snow said. “Right now I guess we’re a bit more hopeful that things will turn, but without any rain in the forecast, I think that’ll be on standby until we hear otherwise.”
Snow said he packed clothes, work laptops and keepsakes, including wedding items that could not be replaced. He also talked with his children about what they would do if they had to leave.
“We went through a fire drill type scenario with the kids,” Snow said. “What do we do if there’s a fire? What do we do? How do we get out of the house?”
Next door, Charlotte Hamblin had a different reaction. Hamblin said she has lived in the neighborhood for 40 years and has been through fire scares before.
“I’m not doing anything,” Hamblin said. “I’ve done that twice before.”
Fire officials said the fire is not out, even though activity has slowed. Hellstrom said crews saw extreme fire behavior the first day, moderate fire behavior the second day and minimal fire activity Monday.
“There is still active fire on the mountain,” Hellstrom said. “That isn’t to say that there might not be a few acres growth here and there, but we won’t see the massive pushes that we have seen the last couple of shifts.”
Officials are asking people to stay out of the burn area and off closed trails, including the Bonneville Shoreline, City Creek, Dry Creek and Red Butte trails. Hellstrom said crews encountered people hiking Monday morning because flames were no longer visible.
“Rather than dealing with any arrests or any trespassing, we just ask the public to stay out until it’s safe to do so,” Hellstrom said.
Crews also dealt with a drone incursion Sunday that grounded aircraft for about an hour.
Hellstrom said drones are illegal to fly over wildland fires and can force firefighting aircraft to stop flying. She said the delay leaves ground crews without the ability to call in retardant drops or bucket work if fire behavior changes.
“There is no view, there is no photo worth a person’s life,” Hellstrom said.
The cause of the Bonneville Fire remains under investigation.
Officials also said smoke visible in the Salt Lake Valley on Monday was not from the Bonneville Fire. Hellstrom said the smoke was coming from the Hastings Fire west of Salt Lake, where crews were conducting a firing operation.
