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Breaking: Brush fire ignites at Rockport Estates

The Park Record

UPDATE: As of 9 a.m. Saturday, Fire crews were on site mopping up hotspots at Rockport Estates where a brush fire ignited Friday. Residents returned to their homes late Friday evening and State Road 32 along Rockport Reservoir was reopened.

On Friday, North Summit Fire District officials estimated the blaze had consumed 120 acres and was 45 percent contained. One structure, where the fire is believed to have originated was destroyed but no other homes were damaged.

According to Tyler Rowser of the North Summit Fire District, the blaze started in a yurt and quickly spread to surrounding grasses and sagebrush. Approximately 220 homes were evacuated as a precaution.

After surveying the area Saturday morning, Rowser said he wanted to be cautious about updating the acreage and containment figures, but due to the aggressivel suppression efforts and calm winds, he was confident the fire was not threatening additional structures.

State Road 32 was closed between Interstate 80 and Brown’s Canyon Road most of Friday evening while aircraft dropped water and retardant on the flames.

Friday afternoon, county officials issued a Local Emergency Proclamation in order to receive state assistance. In a scene reminiscent of the fire in the same area last August, air tankers dropped buckets of water and retardant on the flames.

The fire erupted at about 4 p.m. Friday resulting in the Summit County Sheriff’s Office requesting evacuations through an emergency phone notification system.

As of 4:30 p.m. Friday afternoon, residents of Sage Lane in Rockport Estates were under a mandatory evacuation order, surrounding residents were asked to evacuate voluntarily.

The Wanship ward of The Church of Latter-day Saints (31000 Old Lincoln Highway) was available to serve as an evacuee center, said Julie Booth, public information officer for Summit County.

The Park City Fire District, North Summit Fire District, South Summit Fire District and U.S. Forest Service firefighters, responded to the fire, said Tyler Rowser, public information officer for NSFD.

Wanship Park has been set as the staging center, Rowser said.

Rockport Estates is a community south of Wanship located on the west side of Rockport Reservoir. The same area was threatened during a widespread fire in August, 2013.

— David Burger

Summit County


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