[quote]
HERRIMAN, Utah — A wind-stoked fire sparked at a National Guard firing range blazed across thousands of acres southwest of Salt Lake City, forcing residents of more than 1,600 homes to evacuate, officials said Monday.
Fire authorities still considered the blaze to be out of control, and could not estimate how much of it firefighters had contained, Salt Lake City NBC affiliate KSL-TV reported on its website.
Authorities did get a better estimate on the damage by Monday afternoon, and reduced it from 10,000 acres to about 3,500, or less than 6 square miles.
All that remained at one of the destroyed log homes was a burned out chimney standing near an empty animal pen where the owners, desperate to flee in approaching fire, set two horses and a sheep free and hoped the animals could get themselves out of danger.
The fire moved back on itself Monday morning, but authorities were trying to keep the evacuated area clear of people as a precaution.
"If we get a change of winds, a pickup in winds, it's game-on again," Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder said. "Right now we're in a fairly static situation but it could turn on us again."
The "Machine Gun Fire" moved in on the small community of Herriman on Sunday after flaring up at Camp Williams, a sprawling National Guard site about 30 miles outside Salt Lake City. The fire drew its name from the range at the guard post, where it started during a training exercise.
By early Monday, 1,652 homes had been evacuated, said fire information officer Jason Curry. Four houses were believed to have been lost, he said. At least 100 were threatened.
The fire had caused no major injuries, officials said, although two police officers were treated for smoke inhalation and a third for minor injuries after being hit by the vehicle of a driver trying to return home, the Deseret News reported.
Gov. Gary Herbert posted to his Twitter site after landing from an aerial tour of the blaze with other state and local officials:"An amazing scene, firefighting efforts are making a difference even over last night."
Herriman is flanked to the south and west by mountains. North and west are the valley's suburban communities, with a combined population of about a million.
Herbert activated 120 Utah National Guard troops to help on Sunday, KSL-TV reported; Herriman city and Salt Lake County leaders also declared a state of emergency.
To help battle the fire, the National Guard also put three Blackhawk helicopters into service, officials said, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said it would pay 75 percent of the state's firefighting costs.
'Wall of fire'
Herriman Councilman Matt Robinson told the Deseret News that seeing the fire in the early morning hours was a surreal sight. "It was an awesome sight," he said. "Very intimidating."
Councilman Mike Day added, "It was a wall of fire."
Authorities set up a shelter for evacuees at one of the seven schools in the area shuttered because of the blaze. "Eighty-three people stayed overnight at Herriman High School. Also sheltered: 14 dogs, 7 cats, 83 horses," the city Twitter site said.
Volunteers set up 600 cots at the school, KSL-TV reported.
'Perfect storm'
Utah National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Hank McIntire told the Salt Lake Tribune that dry brush had caught fire during an artillery training session at Camp Williams.
But gusts up to 50 mph stirred the fire up and spread it rapidly. McIntire told KSL-TV that in hindsight, the guard should have contacted fire authorities sooner.
An investigation is underway to determine if instructors conducted the training during inappropriate weather conditions, in breach of protocol, he said.
"It was kind of a perfect storm scenario where once the fire started on the firing range at the National Guard base, the wind really kicked up," said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson, who saw homes catch fire. "Literally, the fire was coming down into the backyards of many of these residents."
'Devastated, to say the least'
Resident Melissa Kula told the Tribune that she and her husband packed their car, then left their home just as flames were nearing their property. "I'm devastated, to say the least," she said.
Winds racing through the area at 40 to 50 miles per hour pushed the fire over a mountain ridge and into the Salt Lake Valley, Hutson said.
"It was lifesaving efforts trying to get people out of the area because of a very, very fast-moving fire — literally moving faster than anybody could run," he said.
All Salt Lake County residents were asked not to use their cell phones to keep lines open for emergency communication, and volunteers evacuated animals from the area.
"We can see the flames at the top of the hill," Faith Ching, owner of Ching Animal Farm and Rescue, told the Deseret News just before the fire reached some of the houses. "I don't want to take a chance. It's really scary."[/quote]
[url]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39265584/ns/us_news-life[/url]
[img]http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/100920_herrimanhome.grid-8x2.jpg[/img]
Goddamned campers leaving campfires unattended and causing forest machine gun fire :saddowns:
[editline]02:05PM[/editline]
wait something aint right here
I thought of Utah Beach with the Machine Gun Fire in the title.
I was disappointed.
I thought this thread was about someone shooting up somewhere in utah with a machine gun
The title completely threw me off. I didn't realize that the actual fire was called machine gun until 4 paragraphs into the article.
Someone's going to attract some heat for the punny name.
Using tracers probably wasn't a very good move.
I can see it from my backyard
Totally misleading title
Was expecting mormonistan to be rising in armed revolt. Am extremely disappointed.
Worst title ever.
Op, fuck you.
[QUOTE=DJFender;24948895]I can see it from my backyard[/QUOTE]
James, is that you?
[QUOTE=BlazeFresh;24944220]I thought this thread was about someone shooting up somewhere in utah with a machine gun[/QUOTE]
I expected it to be like Rampage (The movie) or something.
Instead I got this. :frog:
Damn hope Maddox is alright >_>
Still waiting for his third episode of best show in the universe.
I thought this thread was about someone shooting up Utah with a machine gun.
Too confused; don't understand?
Fuck, I thought this would be about the National Guard shooting everyone up in Utah.
T'was getting scared.
Utah: Fuckin shit up since 1896.
I live by where that happened. The fire looks badass. I have a couple friends who live near it.
[QUOTE=BlazeFresh;24944220]I thought this thread was about someone shooting up somewhere in utah with a machine gun[/QUOTE]
This. I was very confused until about halfway down the article, unable to find anything about shooting or even ammo catching fire.
saw that on local news
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