More Firefighters Sent to Fatal Utah Wild Fire

MIDWAY, Utah — Authorities sent in more firefighters today to battle a 2,500-acre blaze that had killed two people, destroyed 50 structures and triggered the evacuation of 340 homes.

A firefighters spokeswoman said the destroyed structures included year-round homes and summer residences on state land in the Devil’s Hole area about 40 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.

The names of the dead, both firefighters, were not released pending notification of relatives. No other injuries were reported.

About 400 firefighters battled the blaze early today. The fire began at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in thick oak brush and exploded rapidly as it was fueled by winds estimated at 35 to 40 m.p.h., officials said.

Three hundred additional structures were threatened by the blaze and 40 more homes were evacuated early today in the Bonanza Flat and Pine Canyon areas, the spokeswoman said.

Power to a large part of the area was restored by this morning as pilots continued dropping water and fire retardant over the area. Officials were unsure what sparked the blaze.

With weather forecasts calling for continued dry, windy conditions, officials would not estimate when the blaze would be contained.

“I understand it’s going to be hot with gusty winds and low humidity, which means they are going to . . . continue to be hampered by problems with the wind,” the firefighters spokeswoman said.