SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – An evacuation has been ordered after a wildfire, now being referred to as the Parleys Canyon Fire, broke out on the south side of Parleys Canyon near highway I-80.
According to Utah Fire Info, a joint fire initiative, all Summit Park, Pinebrook and Lambs Canyon residents are being asked to evacuate the area.
An evacuation shelter has been set up at Park City High School, according to the Summitt County Sherriff’s office.
The fire has now grown to an estimated 2,000 acres and according to Utah Fire Info, the fire is currently 0% contained as of 4 p.m.
Utah Fire Info has determined the fire was caused by a faulty catalytic converter that ejected hot particles along the roadside.
All westbound traffic and one eastbound lane are now open, according to Utah Highway Patrol. Officials are urging drivers to avoid the area and use an alternate route.
Utah Fire Info also says the fire is growing rapidly and approximately 2,000 structures as well as power lines are being threatened.
According to an eyewitness account, late Saturday morning three brush fires were spotted along I-80 “a few hundred feet apart from each other,” however they say the fire appeared to be growing fast.
The fires were last spotted near mile marker post 137 between Lambs Canyon and Summit, however this information may be updated as the situation develops.
According to ABC4 meteorologist Cesar Cornejo, “The dry and hot conditions overhead of northern Utah, unfortunately, will cause the fire behavior to grow. These conditions are never helpful to fighting efforts.”
Utah Fire Info says a Type 2 team that focuses on battling major fires has been ordered.
Multiple ground and air resources are responding to the scene.
ABC4 has a crew on the way to the scene and will update this story as it develops.
