By JASON BURGESS
burgess@newsroom.byu.edu
Sixty firefighters extinguished the last flames of the West Mountain fire in Spanish Fork on Wednesday.
Three groups scoured the mountainous terrain physically checking for hot spots in the wilderness for most of the day.
A decrease in the high winds along with the high humidity Tuesday slowed the fire enough to allow crews to contain the flames a full day quicker than was planned, said Charmaine Thompson, a spokesperson for the Uinta National Forest. Helicopters were able to effectively drop water on the flames because of the low wind speeds, she said.
Firefighters used a burn-out technique by fighting the fire with fire. Crews extended the fire lines completely around the blaze, and then burned the dry vegetation between the line and the flames to prevent additional spreading.
Once a wildfire is declared controlled, a period to test the security of the fire line is necessary before fire crews can leave the fire camp, officials said.
Crews began the mop-up of the hot spots on Wednesday in the perimeter areas of the fire and will remain on stand-by until Thursday evening.
The West Mountain fire lasted for over two weeks burning a total of 7,900 acres of the Uinta National Forest near Utah Lake. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Two hundred-twenty firefighters were assigned to the blaze costing an estimated $380,000 to extinguish the fire.
Fire danger will remain high throughout the rest of the summer. Uinta National Forest officials worry some residents will try to get rid of unused fireworks by igniting them in unpopulated areas. These unpopulated areas are typically public lands that are at risk to fires because of extreme conditions.