PARK VALLEY – The Dennis Hill wildfire near Park Valley in Box Elder County is one of the bigger fires in Utah, scorching over 4,000 acres of dry wild grass, sagebrush and cedar trees. The fire started Monday afternoon and quickly spread due to high winds in the area. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The fire is only 20% contained.
“When firefighters arrived on scene the fire had consumed around 40 acres but with the sustained 40 mph winds the fire has continued to grow,” said Mitch Zundel, Box Elder County public information officer. “There were structures threatened but the fire fighters have been able to protect them.”
He said there was some 60 firefighters working the fire with state, federal, and local resources including: Garland, Brigham City, Fielding, Thatcher/Penrose, Willard, Corinne, Weber County, Box Elder County, State of Utah, and the Bureau of Land Management.
There were two helicopters being used, a type 3 and type 1, and bulldozers from the Box Elder County Road Department.
“Much thanks and kudos to Kunzler’s Ranch for supplying the needed water to fight the fire,” Zundel said. “If weather permits, the firefighters plan on doing burnouts tonight.”
There are currently nine active wildfires in Utah, the largest is the Big Summit Fire in Southern Utah and the Dennis Hill Fire near Park Valley is the second largest.