Wasatch County Fire Department Public Information Officer Janet Carson said that residents were able to return home Sunday night when the fire was 40 percent contained and no longer posed a risk to condos and houses along the Jordanelle Reservoir.
As of Monday, the fire had burned 550 acres east of U.S. 40 near exit 6 and Park City Fire Chief Paul Hewitt estimated that the cost of the fire was well over $1 million.
According to Carson, the fire came within 30 feet of nearby homes but none were damaged.
"The flames came right up to the condos and it is great that no one was injured in the fire and no structures burned," she said. "We even had a trailer with a four-wheeler parked along the side of the road that we were able to protect. If the Jordanelle fire station had not been located within a few yards of the fire I think there would have been a lot more damage."
Carson added the cause of the fire is still unknown but investigators think that it started in multiple locations. The fire was first reported at about 2 p.m. on Saturday.
"It was originally believed the fire had three starting points but we now believe it actually had started in six places at once," she said. "So whatever started it really sent sparks in multiple directions."
The Utah Chapter of the American Red Cross set up shelters in Heber and Park City and Carson said about 20 people from the Stillwater area spent the night in the shelter at J.R. Smith Elementary School in Heber.
Residents in Fox Bay, Stillwater Lodge, Stillwater town homes and The Shores neighborhood were evacuated Saturday afternoon and officials closed the Jordanelle State Park.
Fire crews from Park City, North Summit, South Summit, the Bureau of Land Management State Lands and Wasatch County all worked to control the fire.
Hewitt said that even though all the agencies have run drills together before, when it came to the real thing, he was extremely impressed with how well everyone worked together.
"You can practice, but you never know how it will actually turn out when you are all together fighting a blaze," he said. "But I think it went exceptionally well. About 250 residences were threatened and each one probably cost around $500,000, so there was a lot on the line."
Hewitt added that Park City fire crews were stationed in front of the Fox Bay condos and were in charge of making sure the fire did not burn any structures.
"We set up a defensive operation with about six trucks and a dozen men and just focused on stopping the fire right where it was and not letting it come any closer to the apartments," he said.
Two helicopters dropped water from the nearby reservoir on the fire and four fixed wing aircrafts were used to spread flame retardant on the hillsides.
"The airdrops were crucial to controlling the fire," Hewitt said. "We had crews about 10 feet away from the flames and the helicopters were reloading so fast and just going back and forth between the fire and the water."
Westbound U.S. 40 was closed for about two hours Saturday night to accommodate fire trucks.
Rocky Mountain Power Spokesperson Jeff Hymas said that power was temporarily knocked out to about 2,000 customers Saturday evening after some power poles and equipment were damaged in the fire.
"From 4:46 p.m. on Saturday to a little after 10 p.m. power was out to some residents in Park City, Heber City and Wasatch County but we were able to reroute power and get them connected again," he said.
Hymas added that Rocky Mountain Power was able to access the fire area yesterday and repair two transmission structures that were severely damaged.
Jordanelle State Park was open and fully operational as of Monday morning but boaters are urged to stay off any burnt or blackened beaches.
Shortly after crews contained the Fox Bay fire, Carson said another fire was reported in Daniels Canyon near Whisky Springs, only 13 miles away from the first blaze.
As of Monday morning, Carson said the Whiskey Springs Fire was zero percent contained and had burnt about 400 acres.
"The fire is all on private property and was started by the landowner doing target practice," she said. "They were shooting bullets at a metal target and the sparks started the fire."
Carson added that the fire is on a very steep hillside and crews are relying heavily on air support.
"As soon as we had one fire contained the crews were pulled immediately to another one," she said. "No structures are threatened and we have hand crews at the base of the hill fighting it from the bottom and air crews fighting it from the top."
According to Hewitt, the fires serve as a reminder that fire season is only halfway over and the risks are still "very real."
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