Firefighters were busy throughout the Independence Day weekend and on July 4. More than 25 fires throughout the area were reported, many of which took place Tuesday. A few fires, such as the blaze photographed, occurred near Green River.
Fires ignited across Sweetwater County during the weekend, many of them caused by fireworks or other man-made causes.
One of the earliest fires to occur started at Lost Dog Saturday afternoon. The fire, according to Sweetwater County Fire Chief Mike Bournazian, burned about six acres of land next to the water at the Flaming Gorge.
"Luckily the lake was there, that fire was ripping," Bournazian said.
Bournazian said the fire was started by fireworks from nearby campers. Bournazian said firefighters from the Green River Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service assisted them in containing the fire. In total, 16 firefighters fought the fire until it was contained about five hours after it was reported. Another fire, near Buckboard, was also reported and contained by firefighters.
Of the five weekend fires the county fire department responded to, only one was naturally started. Bournazian said the department responded to a blaze near the Utah state line outside Manila, Utah that had started from a lightning strike in the area.
More fires were reported during the July 4 holiday.
According to Bournazian, firefighters from multiple agencies responded to between 20 and 25 fires in the Rock Springs and Green River areas Tuesday night. A Facebook post on the Sweetwater County Fire District No. 1 page states the Rock Springs-based fire fighting group responded to 12 calls throughout the night and thanked assistance from the county fire department as well as firefighters from the Bureau of Land Management and Rock Springs Fire Department.
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