Parleys Canyon brush fire possibly caused by fireworks, official says

PARLEYS CANYON, Utah — A brush fire started up Parleys Canyon Monday evening is believed to have been caused by fireworks. 

The Parleys Canyon brush fire burned about an acre and a half, according to Unified Fire Authority Capt. Tony Barker. 

While there were no evacuations ordered, there was a road closure.

“By the nature of [their] attack, they did close that on-ramp from 215 to I-80 headed up Parleys,” said Barker. “Just so they could work safely.” 

According to Barker, authorities took an aggressive approach to contain the fire. 

When Barker spoke to KSL NewsRadio, authorities were preparing to reopen the ramp. Additionally, he said that crews were in the mop-up stage at the time. 

According to Barker, when authorities fight wildland fires, they are not considered out until they are cold. During the mop-up stage, firefighters ensure that all embers have been put out. 

“It’s just a dirty, messy process to ensure that all embers are out. So that we don’t have a reignition somewhere else,” said Barker. 

No further delays or scorches related to this fire have been reported. Additionally, Barker said that nobody was hurt and no structures were damaged. 

Still too early for fireworks

Although fireworks have gone on sale, it is still illegal to set them off, per the Unified Fire Authority website. 

Fireworks can legally be set off between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. July 2 through July 5, per Unified Fire Authority. Then, they will again be legal from July 22 through July 25.

On the Utah Department of Public Safety website, the curfew is extended to midnight for the nights of July 4 and 24 only. 

Setting fireworks off outside of the approved times, or in areas where fireworks use is restricted or banned, can result in a fine of up to $1,000. 

Related: Utah is seeing more blazes, many are human-caused wildfires