The sky Tuesday morning was pristine blue, with the only points of white a few wispy clouds on the edges of the horizon — and a solitary white biplane.

The vintage aircraft, a two-seater 1942 Boeing-Stearman, took off from Tooele Valley Airport and returned about every half hour. While there was novelty to seeing the decades-old aircraft, the real main attraction were the plane’s occupants.

Eight area veterans were given the opportunity to ride in the open cockpit biplane through the Ageless Aviation Dream Foundation, which recognizes veterans in long-term care communities with free flights in vintage aircraft like the Boeing-Stearman, also known as the PC-17.

The Tooele County veterans selected for the flights Tuesday were from the Cottage Glen Assisted Living Center and the Tooele County Senior Center.

A training aircraft during World War II, the Boeing-Stearman biplane was nicknamed the “Washing Machine” because it was used to wash pilots out of flight school, according to pilot Mike Sommars. Following the war, the plane found a second life in the private, agricultural sector.

“After the Stearman became military surplus in approximately ‘46 or ‘47, they had a big market for them as crop dusters,” Sommars said.

Sommars, who is a pilot for American Airlines, said Ageless Aviation has completed more than 2,000 flights for veterans since 2011 using three different biplanes.

The eight veterans selected for the flights Tuesday were Don Laird, Bill Hales, Farrell Parks, Jay Jeppesen, Kay Iverson, Kay Rigby, Kent Baker and Ron Clements.

Taking the first ride of the day was Rigby, 82, who served in the Army for two years, where he was stationed at Ladd Army Airfield in Fairbanks, Alaska. He said the experience of flying in the open cockpit airplane was “very cool.”

“There’s nothing like it,” Rigby said. “It’s good to be appreciated every once in awhile.”

Last year, seven Tooele County veterans went for rides in the white Boeing-Stearman, which was piloted at the time by Ageless Aviation founder Darryl Fisher.

A Tooele man faces felony charges after he was arrested for trading an allegedly stolen vehicle for a motorcycle.

Brandon Anthony Fernandez, 31, is charged with second-degree felony counts of receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle and theft by deception. He made his initial appearance in 3rd District Court Monday before Judge Robert Adkins.

According to a probable cause statement from the Tooele City Police Department, the victim said he had traded his 2007 Kawasaki motorcycle to Fernandez in exchange for a Honda dirt bike, four-wheeler and a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Following the exchange, the victim said he was stopped by West Valley City police while driving the Jeep, as it had been reported stolen.

The victim said officers then arrived at his home later and impounded the Jeep, the statement said. He contacted Tooele City police after he couldn’t get in contact with Fernandez to get his Kawasaki motorcycle back.

When an officer from Tooele City police spoke with Fernandez, he said the trade for the Kawasaki included the Honda dirt bike, a four-wheeler and $1,500 cash, instead of a Jeep. Fernandez showed the Tooele City officer the Kawasaki, which was in his garage.

When the responding officer spoke with the West Valley City officer who impounded the Jeep, he learned Fernandez was involved in an open case concerning the stolen vehicle. The Tooele City police officer arrested Fernandez and transported him to the Tooele County Detention Center where he was booked.

Adkins set bail at $10,000 for Fernandez and scheduled his next court appearance for Aug. 9 at 1:30 p.m. at the Tooele County Courthouse.

A Tooele man has been charged with felony assault after he allegedly pushed his ex-girlfriend and she broke her wrists.

Alan Raymond Wheeler, 50, is charged with second-degree felony aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury. He made his initial appearance in 3rd District Court Monday morning before Judge Robert Adkins.

According to the probable cause statement from the Tooele City Police Department, the victim met with police on June 22 at Mountain West Medical Center’s emergency room. She said she had been in a confrontation with Wheeler and another woman outside his residence.

The victim said she and Wheeler had dated and lived together at the home, according to the probable cause statement. After their relationship ended, the victim returned to move her items out of the apartment.

While she argued with the other woman, the victim said Wheeler approached her, grabbed her by the neck and pushed her backward, the statement said. As she fell backward, the victim fractured both of her wrists.

The responding officer also spoke with a witness who said he separated the victim and Wheeler during the confrontation. After the witness had turned to walk away, he said Wheeler pushed the victim to the ground.

When Tooele City police interviewed Wheeler, he admitted to pushing the victim to separate her from the other woman but she didn’t fall as a result. He said the victim tried to kick him and missed, causing her to fall backward and injure herself.

Wheeler was appointed counsel at court Monday and is expected back on Aug. 9 at 1:30 p.m. for a roll call hearing at the Tooele County Courthouse.

A Wendover man will be back in court Tuesday after he was arrested in June on rape and kidnapping charges.

Kevin William Lacey, 53, is charged with first-degree felony rape and first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping. He made his initial appearance in court on June 27 and bail was set at $200,000.

According to a probable cause statement from the Tooele County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy was dispatched to meet with the female victim at a nearby casino on June 16. The victim said she was with Lacey at his residence, several days prior sorting their clothes.

The victim said Lacey forced her onto the bed, held her down and took her pants off, according to the probable cause statement. He then held her down and raped her, according to the victim.

During the assault, the victim told Lacey to stop but was only able to escape after she punched him in the face and ran away, the statement said.

Lacey walked by while the deputy was interviewing the victim and he was transported to the Wendover substation after agreeing to speak with them, according to the probable cause statement. He agreed to speak with the deputy and admitted he raped the victim.

Lacey was then arrested and transported to the Tooele County Detention Center on the rape charge. He was scheduled to appear in 3rd District Court Tuesday at 9 a.m. for a roll call hearing before Judge Robert Adkins.

A juvenile girl had to be lifeflighted to a Salt Lake-area hospital after she fell through the roof at Tooele Junior High School Monday evening.

According to the Tooele City Police Department, two girls had climbed onto the roof of the school to retrieve a ball around 6 p.m. While walking on the roof, one of the girls fell through a skylight.

The girl fell approximately 15 feet into the building, Tooele City police said. She was transported by medical helicopter to Primary Children’s Hospital in stable condition.

The Tooele County Council of Governments had its first look at the potential financial impact on county taxpayers if they move ahead with a special service district for dispatch services.

Cody Deeter from Lewis, Young, Robertson & Burningham, presented a preliminary analysis to COG of the possible costs for the special service district based on current budget figures and conservative projections.

The analysis was the first attempt to quantify the costs of communication equipment for dispatch, which is not covered by dispatch fees under the current system.

Municipalities and other government entities that use Tooele County’s dispatch service pay a flat rate up to 50 incidents of $752.12, then $15.04 for each additional call for service. Dispatch fees, in addition to 911 fees collected from phone lines, fund the $1.2 million budget for dispatch personnel and equipment.

Deeter provided to COG three possible scenarios where the county would buy, lease or transfer capital assets, including the county’s communication towers and dispatch portion of the county’s Emergency Operations Center.

Andy Tanner, Tooele County Emergency Management’s communications technician, said the existing agreements between the county and Utah Communications Authority would be broken if the towers were sold or transferred, however.

If the county leased the towers to the proposed special service district, Deeter’s preliminary figure showed the 10-year average for the property tax levy would be $1.62 million. The average tax cost for a $200,000 home would be $50.64 per year, or $4.22 per month, with a proposed tax rate of .000460.

Deeter stressed the figures were preliminary and would change during the process of COG figuring out what would be included in dispatch costs.

One possible change would be determining how much the special service district would be on the hook for the total cost of the county’s communication towers. Tooele County Commissioner Myron Bateman said tower costs were never put on the other municipalities before, with the costs for maintenance folded into TCEM’s budget.

Deeter’s analysis anticipated the dispatch special service district would need to budget $265,330 to lease the capital assets, including the towers, in its first year. That figure includes capital expenses, depreciation costs and overhead.

COG Chairman Scott Wardle said capital expenses were never included in dispatch fees but questioned what methodology would be used to portion out the county dispatch system’s use of the towers.

“We’re not creating a special service district for emergency management,” Wardle said. “We’re creating a special service district for dispatch fees.”

Bateman said the county health department already subsidizes emergency management by about $170,000 per year to offset the gap in funding. He said the county is asking cities to pay the fair cost per call, which Bateman insisted included the cost of maintaining the communication system.

“When the sheriff put together what it actually costs per call, the city says, ‘Hey, we’re going to quit, we’re going to (Salt Lake Valley Emergency Communications Center). You’re charging too much,’ he said. “We’re actually just saying this is exactly the dollar cost to pay employees.”

Wardle asked Deeter to investigate the cost of creating a special service district with a governing board — but does not collect property taxes. Municipalities would still pay dispatch fees in that system, but would have more control over the budget and it could reflect more of a real cost for the service.

Grantsville City Mayor Brent Marshall said the discussion about the true cost of dispatch was necessary and should have happened several years ago, but was finally pushed to the forefront by his city’s recent conversations with VECC.

“It seems like over the past four, five years the dispatch fees have reeled out of control,” he said. “I think this is what needed to happen. It needed to happen four years ago.”

COG is expected to revisit the dispatch special service district on Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. at the Tooele County Building to review more in-depth breakdowns of what portion of communications tower maintenance the district would be responsible for and to look at the alternative special service district model.

The Stansbury Park Service Agency received a clean audit for 2015 despite annual concerns about financial oversight due to the low number of full-time employees.

The audit and financial reports showed the agency had instances where segregation of duties was not optimal — in cash receipting and depositing, and cash disbursements. The bulk of the duties that involve handling checks and cash receipts are managed by the service agency’s office manager.

The auditors gave the service agency credit for putting controls in place, such as having board members review the financial records at their bi-monthly meetings and using a cash register at the pool for the purpose of cash reconciliations.

“We realize that it may not be in the agency’s best interest to hire enough staff to correct this problem,” the report said.

Stansbury Park Service Agency Manager Randall Jones said the agency is aware of the problem but has continued to receive clean audits.

“We got the same findings we get every year — that we need to hire … more people to handle the money and if we don’t, we’re out of compliance,” he said.

The audit showed the service agency’s net position, which is the balance of its assets and liabilities, ticked up 2.1 percent in 2015 to $22.4 million. The agency’s revenues of $1.6 million outpaced its expenses by $474,358 in the past year.

In 2015, the service agency collected $985,606 in property taxes, which was actually a decrease of $4,789 from the previous year. Total revenues ticked down by 5.2 percent, while total expenses crept up by 2.9 percent.

Tooele County police agencies have received an outpouring of support as the law enforcement community reels from the deaths of five Dallas police officers and await results of investigations into officer-involved shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota.

For Tooele City Police Chief Ron Kirby, the notes, emails, food and more given by citizens has been an unprecedented expression of appreciation in his career in law enforcement. Kirby said it was humbling and officers are grateful for the community’s backing.

“I’m 36 years into law enforcement and I’ve never seen anything like this before in terms of an outpouring of support for law enforcement,” he said.

Tooele County Sheriff Paul Wimmer said his deputies aren’t letting the Dallas shooting get them down, but it is difficult any time they have to shroud their badges for a fallen officer. The sheriff’s office has seen similar appreciation from residents, he said.

“By and large, we get a huge amount of support from the community,” Wimmer said.

In a statement, Grantsville City Police Chief Kevin Turner also thanked the community for its support. In the past week, the department received visits, letters, cards, treats and lunches, he said.

“Along with this, our officers are reporting daily notes and contacts of support and appreciation for their service in our city,” Turner said. “This is very heartfelt and appreciated more than you know.”

Turner, Kirby and Wimmer all said they await the results of investigations into the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Falcon Heights, Minnesota, respectively.

Wimmer said he’s waiting for investigators to gather all of the facts before weighing in on the police actions leading to the deaths of Sterling and Castile.

“I try not to armchair quarterback anything until the investigation is complete and all the facts are clear,” he said.

Turner called Sterling’s and Castile’s deaths tragic and offered condolences to their families, but cautioned against making quick judgments based on the information reported so far.

“We can’t judge these instances on their face value, or from what is portrayed in the media,” he said. “We live in a country of rules and law, and we must have faith in our justice system.”

Kirby connected the recent police-involved shootings to the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in August 2014. He said there are valuable lessons from the response to the incident that haven’t been learned yet by law enforcement, the community and the media.

One of the most important lessons is to not rush to judgment despite it taking several weeks for investigations to be resolved, Kirby said. Darren Wilson, the officer who shot and killed Brown, was not charged and the federal Department of Justice report found “sufficient credible evidence supports Wilson’s claim that he reasonably perceived Brown to be a deadly threat.”

“A video does not show everything,” Kirby said. “A video does not tell the whole story. But we’ll see a video of a shooting and immediately there’s protest. The facts aren’t even out yet.”

Kirby and Wimmer said their departments track and review data on race, gender and other demographics to monitor possible discriminatory practices. The sheriff’s office tracks race when making stops and arrests to make sure they aren’t enforcing differently for any group, whether negatively or through preferential treatment.

Wimmer said the demographics within the sheriff’s office align with those of the community. According to the 2010 Census, Tooele County’s population was 90.7 percent white, with 2.8 percent of the population representing two or more races and .7 percent of the population African-American.

“The sheriff’s office reflects the community we serve,” Wimmer said.

Kirby said the Tooele City Police Department closely tracks its uses of force, which seem to mirror the community beside incidents of force being disproportionately low when involving women.

“Our uses of force fall very, very closely with population,” he said. “You don’t see any segment of the community standing out.”

Kirby said another lesson from Ferguson was how it can be easy for law enforcement to slip into practices where one portion of the population is treated unfairly in the number of stops or arrests. He said there are residents who remember the troubled history in relations with the Hispanic community in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

“I think there’s still people who have feelings of mistrust for the police 20, 30 years later,” he said. “If you have a bad experience with a police officer, you don’t get over that very easily.”

Turner said officers pledged an oath to serve and protect all members of the community in his statement.

“We pledge our dedication to our mission in providing fair and consistent service to our citizens, with kindness and a concern for the spirit of the law,” he said.

While Wimmer said he was reserving judgment on the actions that led to the deaths of Sterling and Castile until the investigation was complete, he had strong words for Micah Johnson, the man who gunned down five officers in Dallas before he was killed by police.

Wimmer said the officers were shot from a distance while providing security at the protest without any escalation or confrontation in what he called a “cowardly act by a cowardly person.”

The Grantsville City Police Department will send three officers to attend the funeral of some of the officers killed in Dallas and honor Sgt. Michael Smith, Senior Cpl. Lorne Ahrens and officers Brent Thompson, Michael Krol and Patrick Zamarripa.

“This tragic attack on police has affected our entire country,” Turner said. “We are deeply saddened and send our condolences to the people of Texas who lost five honorable defenders of justice.”

In comments echoed by his counterparts in Grantsville and the sheriff’s office, Kirby said good relations with the community are critical to all law enforcement officers and the recent outpouring of support only reinforced that.

“There’s nothing more important to police officers than to feel that the community supports and trusts them,” he said.

The Utah Legislature passed a bill during a special session Wednesday that would create harsher penalties for anyone flying drones within five miles of an active wildfire.

Flying a drone over an active wildfire is a class B misdemeanor and a class A misdemeanor if the drone interferes with the ability of an aircraft to dump fire retardant material or any other containment or control efforts.

Should the unmanned aircraft collide with a firefighting plane or helicopter, it’s a third-degree felony; if the drone causes the aircraft to crash into the ground, a structure or another aircraft, the operator would be charged with a second-degree felony.

The bill would also allow the chief law enforcement or fire official to neutralize drones interfering with firefighting efforts, by either interfering with the radio signal or damaging the aircraft.

The bill toughens legislation passed earlier this year. It now awaits Gov. Gary Herbert’s signature.

While there haven’t been any problematic interactions between Tooele County fire departments and drones yet, there was a near encounter at a grass fire last week near Exit 84 on Interstate 80. Grantsville City Fire Chief Casey Phillips said an enthusiast was preparing to fly a model airplane near the fire, but agreed to move elsewhere at Phillips’ request.

Tooele County Fire Warden Daniel Walton said he’s seen drones near fires multiple times over the years, including the model plane near Exit 84. Walton said aircraft, including planes and helicopters, play a critical role in battling wildfires, especially in remote areas.

Concerns that drones could collide with firefighting aircraft have driven legislation like Utah’s, which prohibits flying drones within a five-mile radius of a wildfire. Drones can impact planes carrying fire retardant to battle wildfires, Walton said.

“If an airplane shows up full of retardant, it can’t be used effectively,” he said.

There are spillover effects of the interference as well, as airplanes loaded with fire retardant can’t land safely, Walton said. If planes are turned away from a fire due to drone-related safety issues, they have to dump the retardant elsewhere, which leads to environmental concerns.

Tooele City Fire Chief Bucky Whitehouse said there haven’t been problems with drones in city limits yet, but there have been other potential safety concerns and fire risks related to drones. During the week surrounding July 4 celebrations, some residents were flying drones near exploding fireworks to capture video and photographs.

Whitehouse said the drones were in danger of being caught in an explosion and crashing, which could create a fire on the ground.

The biggest concern for drone interference is contact with the relatively fragile rotor system of helicopters, Whitehouse said.

“Helicopters are the first line of aerial defense,” he said.

If helicopters are unable to perform their task of supporting ground crews, it puts both groups at greater risk, according to Whitehouse.

While local fire officials expressed support for the state’s drone laws, the North Tooele Fire District also sees the value in unmanned aircraft — as long as it’s the department operating the equipment.

The NTFD has access to a drone that it uses when scouting out wildfire locations and in search and rescue operations, according to public information officer Ryan Willden. It can allow crews to pinpoint the location of a smoldering tree from a lightning strike or remote brush fire and determine the personnel and equipment required to battle the blaze, he said.

“That’s been helpful for us,” Willden said.

Civilian drone operators looking for a better photograph can put firefighter safety at risk, however, Willden said. The NTFD will also ground its drone if a different agency, like the federal Bureau of Land Management, takes control of fire operations for a wildfire, he said.

A Tooele man has been charged with theft after he allegedly stole a vehicle from a friend’s parents earlier this month.

Dylan Emerson Danley, 19, is charged with second-degree felony theft and misdemeanor use or possession of drug paraphernalia.

Tooele City police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle on July 11 after a white 2008 Jeep Commander was taken from the victim’s driveway, according to a probable cause statement. According to the vehicle owner, Danley was a friend of his daughter and told the victim’s 15-year-old son he had permission to take it.

The victim’s son gave Danley the keys to the Jeep and watched him drive away, the statement said. The victim attempted to contact Danley several times after the vehicle was stolen but was unable to reach him.

The next day, the stolen Jeep was called into dispatch for driving recklessly and it was tracked down by Tooele City police on South Coleman Road, according to the probable cause statement. Danley was driving the vehicle and his driver’s license status showed he had not paid the reinstatement fee.

When the victim arrived to reclaim his vehicle, he requested it be searched by police before he took possession of it, the statement said. During the search of the Jeep, officers found a piece of black plastic with residue and a small piece of aluminum foil, which Danley told officers had contained heroin.

Danley is scheduled to appear in 3rd District Court on Aug. 1 at 10:28 a.m. for his initial appearance before Judge Robert Adkins.

A Tooele man faces assault charges after he allegedly pulled a gun during an altercation with his wife’s friend.

James Albert Haddix, 44, made his initial appearance in 3rd District Court Monday on charges of third-degree felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor counts of carrying a dangerous weapon under the influence of alcohol or drugs and intoxication.

On July 2, Tooele City police were called to Haddix’s home on 120 West after reports of a man with a gun. The responding officer met with Haddix, who confirmed he had been drinking, according to the probable cause statement.

Haddix told officers he had gotten into an argument with his wife’s friend, which escalated into a physical altercation, the statement said. Feeling threatened by the victim, Haddix said he went into his home and returned with a gun, which he pulled on the victim.

The victim in the altercation said Haddix approached him and was verbally abusive, which included Haddix making a fake gun with his finger and saying he could kill the victim, the probable cause statement said. The victim also said Haddix took the first swing at him, which started the scuffle.

When Haddix returned with his gun, the victim said Haddix pointed it at his head and said he was going to kill him, according to the statement. The victim managed to disarm Haddix, who was hurt in the struggle, and throw the gun out of reach.

Haddix is scheduled to appear in 3rd District Court for a roll call hearing before Judge Robert Adkins on Aug. 9 at 1:30 p.m.

A new mobile analyzer is being tested at Dugway Proving Ground that could aid first-responders and the military in detecting and identifying chemical agents and toxic chemicals.

The Common Analytical Laboratory System, or CALS, is a chemical analyzer designed to analyze compounds in the field with greater accuracy. Better identification of threats can aid military field commanders and emergency responders in understanding risk and public protection, according to the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense.

Dugway will validate the chemical analyzers on CALS in the first two phases of testing, according to a press release from Dugway. The final phase of testing, which will validate the biological analyzers, will be conducted at Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center in Maryland later this year.

The first two phases of CALS testing at Dugway will include checking if the chemical analyzers work as planned and evaluating the user experience with the planned systems and procedures, according to Petr Serguievski, test officer for the CALS test.

“CALS has a different mission than typical detectors, like JCAD (a brick-sized Joint Chemical Agent Detector used by U.S. forces),” Serguievski said. “While JCAD’s primary purpose is to warn of a hazard, CALS is tasked with confirmation and identification.”

How easily CALS can be repaired and how reliable the equipment is will also be subject to testing in both phases at Dugway, according to Serguievski.

The first phase of testing will challenge portable chemical analyzers designed to identify chemical threats in solid, liquid and air samples, the release said. The subsequent phase of testing will focus on a mobile lab with more specific chemical testing abilities than the portable units.

The testing will occur in a sealed chamber where equipment can be accessed by chemically impermeable gloves. The analyzers are then exposed to chemical agents inside the sealed chamber.

The setup for the Dugway phases of CALS began in March and testing is expected to continue into 2017. Testing will be conducted 24 hours a day, five days a week, to make the most efficient use of labs, equipment and portable chambers, Serguievski said.

Due to extremely dry conditions, the state has placed fire restrictions on all unincorporated areas of Tooele County.

The restrictions include a ban on all fireworks without a permit, effective Sunday and running indefinitely until conditions improve. All unincorporated private and state lands in the county are affected by the restrictions, including properties in Stansbury Park, Erda, Pine Canyon and Lake Point.

According to the fire restriction order from the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, prohibited activities include setting open fires unless in facilities like picnic areas or improved campgrounds; discharging fireworks, tracer ammunition or other pyrotechnics; cutting, welding or grinding metal near dry vegetation; and smoking, except when indoors, at a developed recreation site or stopped in an area that is barren or cleared.

Fireworks can be discharged with a permit, available through the state fire marshal’s office, but the permits are generally reserved for professional operators.

Private landowners in incorporated cities should abide by any local restrictions, according to Tooele County Fire Warden Daniel Walton. The Town of Stockton is prohibiting fireworks within its boundaries, he said.

The Bureau of Land Management – West Desert District also issued a fire prevention order, effective Monday, which prohibits similar potential fire-starting activities.

“With recent record temperatures, low humidity, and critically low fuel moistures, the vegetation in the West Desert has dried out quickly,” said Justin Kincaid, West Desert District fire management officer. “These conditions significantly increase the risk of accidental wildfires in the area. Fire behavior on any new fires can be expected to be extreme.”

The BLM restrictions are in addition to year-round restrictions on fireworks, exploding targets, incendiary ammunition, sky lanterns and all-terrain vehicles without spark arresters. The BLM requests fireworks and exploding targets be left at home when visiting public lands.

There is also a seasonal restriction on steel-core, steel-jacketed and steel-tipped ammunition on BLM lands, which runs from June 15 to Sept. 30.

The restrictions come the week before Pioneer Day and the lifting of the statewide ban on the discharge of fireworks from July 21 to July 27. During the last period the restrictions were lifted, around the July 4 holiday, there were numerous wildfires and one structure fire, Walton said.

The majority of the fires were caused by mishandling fireworks, either by being lit carelessly or when they tipped over after being set on uneven ground, according to Walton.

The largest blaze involved 2.6 acres on Bates Canyon Road in Erda near the railroad tracks and was battled by a coordinated effort from the North Tooele Fire District, federal Bureau of Land Management and state Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.

If residents violate the fire restriction order, the maximum penalty is up to a Class B misdemeanor.

A wildfire in Tooele County’s West Desert has burned more than 1,300 acres since it was reported Monday morning.

Tooele County Fire Warden Daniel Walton said firefighters from the federal Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands are battling the blaze. The wildfire, dubbed the Choke Cherry Fire, is located in Tooele County about eight miles north of Callao.

Walton said five hand crews, nine fire engines, a bulldozer and two helicopters are involved in the firefighting effort. A number of planes have dumped fire retardant on the wildfire since ground crews weren’t able to attack the blaze on foot until Tuesday, he said.

The fire is burning through acres of BLM land but there are no structures threatened by the flames, according to Utah’s interagency wildfire Twitter account, @UtahFireInfo. Tweets from the account said fire managers are working to preserve historic portions of the Pony Express and Overland Trail in the area and crews are working in 10 to 15 mph winds.

The cause and point of origin of the fire is still under investigation, according to Walton.

The fire that damaged or destroyed 18 homes late Tuesday night on Tooele City’s west side is being investigated as arson.

The blaze completely destroyed 10 homes and caused various degrees of fire damage to eight more, according to Tooele City Fire Chief Bucky Whitehouse. There were also eight vehicles destroyed in the grass fire, which quickly spread from a field near the intersection of 700 South and South Coleman Street.

During a press conference late Wednesday morning, Tooele City Police Officer Tanya Turnbow said the department is working with the state fire marshal’s investigators on what is being considered arson.

“At this point we feel comfortable saying that the fire was intentionally set,” she said.

In addition to the damage to homes, three area firefighters were transported to Mountain West Medical Center with smoke inhalation and were subsequently treated and released. Nine agencies and between 80 and 100 firefighters helped battle the blaze, according to Whitehouse.

Fire crews from Tooele City, Grantsville City, Rush Valley, Terra and Stockton volunteer fire departments, along with the North Tooele Fire District and Tooele Army Depot Fire Department, responded to the blaze, according to NTFD public information Ryan Willden.

While the fire destroyed 10 homes, Whitehouse praised the efforts that prevented more structures from burning to the ground.

“Firefighter efforts were tremendous,” he said.

Despite having the first crew on scene within three minutes of the reported fire and the first engine within six minutes, the fire quickly grew, Whitehouse said. The fire’s growth was aided by 20 to 30 mph winds from the south, which pushed it toward homes on VanDyke and American ways, as well as South Coleman Street and Concord Drive.

The fire and high winds contributed to a power outage that cut power to more than 2,600 residents over night and the county’s fuel pumps were shut down as a precaution, Willden said. A couple transformers in the line of the fire were blown as well.

“Mother Nature was really causing some problems for us,” Whitehouse said.

The houses in the two-block radius affected by the fire were predominantly modular homes and the lightweight construction of the buildings caused them to burn more easily, Whitehouse said.

Approximately 20 homes were evacuated during the fire and approximately 40 to 50 residents will need to stay at the Red Cross shelter at West Elementary, Whitehouse said. The shelter will remain open indefinitely while evacuees are placed in homes of relatives or other alternative housing options.

The West Elementary shelter provided food, water, Wi-Fi internet and other services to evacuees. Tooele County School District Superintendent Scott Rogers said Wal-Mart donated towels and toiletries for displaced residents, who will have access to the school’s bathroom and shower facilities.

“We just want to make life easy for them through this challenging time,” he said.

Having to tell families that their homes had been destroyed in the blaze was difficult, according to Whitehouse.

“It was definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,” he said. “The residents were very gracious, with the information that was given to them.”

An outpouring of support for the victims of the fire had Tooele County Emergency Management requesting a cessation to food and water donations by midmorning. Whitehouse said he received a number of calls from agencies and individuals asking how they could help.

“It really speaks to Tooele City and the residents of this great community,” he said.

TCEM recommended making cash donations to the American Red Cross in lieu of bringing additional supplies to the shelter.

A wildfire in Tooele County’s West Desert has burned more than 1,500 acres since it was reported Monday morning.

Tooele County Fire Warden Daniel Walton said firefighters from the federal Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands are battling the blaze. The wildfire, dubbed the Choke Cherry Fire, is located in the Deep Creek Mountains about eight miles north of Callao.

Walton said six hand crews, eight fire engines, a bulldozer and two helicopters are involved in the firefighting effort. Two airplanes have dumped fire retardant on the wildfire since ground crews weren’t able to attack the blaze on foot until Tuesday, he said.

The fire is burning through acres of BLM land but there are no structures threatened by the flames, according to Utah’s interagency wildfire Twitter account, @UtahFireInfo. Tweets from the account said fire managers are working to preserve historic portions of the Pony Express and Overland Trail in the area and crews are working in 10 to 15 mph winds.

Fire investigators were able to determine the fire was caused by lightning.

The grass fire that destroyed 10 homes and damaged eight more in Tooele City Tuesday night was likely caused by arson, according to the Tooele City Police Department.

The announcement the destructive fire could have been intentionally set came during a press conference on Van Dyke Way Wednesday morning against a backdrop of charred homes.

Tooele City Police Officer Tanya Turnbow said the department, in conjunction with the state fire marshal’s office, would investigate the fire as arson.

“At this point we feel comfortable saying that the fire was intentionally set,” Turnbow said.

Jesse Barger, 24, was located and questioned by Tooele City police in relation to the fire investigation Wednesday evening. He was booked into Tooele County Jail on unrelated outstanding warrants and has not been charged in connection with the fire.

The blaze displaced 40-50 residents, who fled from their burning homes Tuesday night as firefighters from seven agencies responded.

Deputy Utah State Fire Marshal Bryan Thatcher said his office would conduct the investigation into how the fire was started. While Tooele City police will handle any criminal charges from the blaze, Thatcher outlined the possible charge facing the culprit.

Intentional burning of a habitable structure or setting a fire that causes injury or death can be classified as first-degree felony aggravated arson, he said.

In addition to the 18 damaged or destroyed homes, three local firefighters were treated and released for smoke inhalation after battling the 6-acre blaze.

Tooele City Fire Chief Bucky Whitehouse said there hasn’t been a rash of suspicious fires in the city that could be connected to Tuesday night’s fire.

The last major incident of arson in Tooele County took place in July 2014 when Timothy West started a wildfire in Stockton that burned nearly 200 acres of land, threatened homes and polluted the town’s water supply. West was convicted of third-degree felony arson and third-degree felony causing a catastrophe in February 2015 and sentenced to up to five years in the Utah State Prison.

Turnbow said the Tooele City Police Department is reaching out to the public for possible leads. If someone saw suspicious behavior near the field where the fire started, they can call Tooele County Dispatch at 435-882-5600 or Tooele City police at 435-882-8900.

The heavy stench of charred wood, rubber and metal fills the air before the damage of Tuesday night’s grass fire comes into view while traveling southbound on American Way in Tooele City.

A bit further south at the intersection with Van Dyke Way, the charred north end of one house highlights the random destruction wreaked by the fire that damaged or destroyed 18 homes and displaced 40-50 residents. The fire is being investigated as arson. (See related front-page story)

The front of the cream-colored home appears nearly unscathed, except for a touch of fire damage on the northwest corner, which hints at the burned wall and backyard.

At the intersection, however, the fire’s destructive power is clearly displayed. Five debris-strewn lots are all that’s left on a section of the south side of the street where homes once stood.

There’s little left of the house shared by Albert Arellano and Sandra Martinez, except for skeletal remains of cars on their lot and nearby on the street. Martinez points out the ash white frame of her son’s Chevrolet Blazer. Before the grass fire hit, the car was black, she said.

The fire came on them so quickly Arellano and Martinez didn’t have time to gather belongings as the flames bore down on them. They left with their clothes, Arellano’s phone and their dog. Their cat is still missing.

“The wind was coming from the south,” he said. “It was blowing straight at us, so we had no time to grab anything.”

Arellano and Martinez agreed that the sight of their home and their neighbors reduced to cinders left them in shock as they surveyed the damage early Wednesday morning.

Forced to flee

A couple hours before the sun rose over the Oquirrh Mountains, more than 20 evacuees in West Elementary’s gymnasium waited for news on the future of their homes. Donnie Magera and Louann Anderton had been forced to flee the blaze, leaving their home on Van Dyke Way in flames.

“The back of the house was on fire,” Magera said. “The car was fully engulfed and the garage was engulfed when I left.”

Magera said they had to leave quickly, with heavy, choking smoke and flames everywhere.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.

“It was so fast,” Anderton added.

Magera and Anderton were at the Red Cross shelter at the school around 5 a.m., two hours before the earliest time the Tooele City Volunteer Fire Department had said it might allow homeowners back on their properties to survey the damage.

While Magera said they were waiting to see what might be salvageable from the fire, he had other concerns when encircled by the flames.

“I wasn’t even really thinking about my property at the time,” he said. “I knew it was on fire and I just wanted to make sure everything — my neighbors and my family and my dogs — were all out of there.”

The four members of the household made it out safely along with their three pets, but the journey to the elementary school was anything but direct. Magera said after leaving their home behind, they were redirected to drive to two different LDS churches in Tooele, then up to Overlake before arriving at the elementary school.

“We got to one place and wasn’t there not even five minutes and they said, ‘No, now you’ve got to go someplace else,” Magera said.

Snapped into action

Arellano and Martinez said the only reason they knew to evacuate their home was the intervention of their neighbor, Jeff Fuell. When Fuell first saw the flames, which he described as 20 to 30 feet high, he said he snapped into action to alert his neighbors who were sleeping or unaware of the fast-moving fire.

After telling his son to call 911, Fuell began knocking on the doors of seven or eight of his neighbors on both sides of the street to tell them about the escalating blaze.

In addition to the praise from Arellano and Martinez, several neighbors stopped to give heartfelt thanks to Fuell, who still clutched the drink he’d been offered two hours earlier but could only bring himself to sip.

Once he assisted the evacuation of his neighborhood, Fuell turned to defending his own home from the encroaching flames. He said he hosed down his lawn, roof and anything else to try and prevent it from catching fire.

“I just soaked everything,” he said. “If I hadn’t soaked my lawn like I did, my house would be gone.”

Even with his efforts, the lawn is marred by patches of burned grass that came dangerously close to his home. The house also filled completely with smoke to the point he couldn’t see inside it, Fuell said.

Just around the corner on Concord Drive, Javier and Laura Cortez walked around their lawn, reviewing the wreckage of their former home. The Cortezes had only purchased the modular house about four months ago.

Javier said they had been completing renovations on the home since moving in, but the months of hard work were suddenly reduced to ashes.

Back on Van Dyke Way, the trees are torched to a charcoal black and residents were left staring at the smoldering remains of homes and belongings as fire crews continued mop-up duties. The field behind the spot their home sat is now charred, but previously had been teeming with tall grass, Martinez said.

“I had been so worried about that field,” she said. “It was so dry and I was just saying we need to go out and make a fire break for our house from the weeds.”

A fast moving grass fire damaged or destroyed 18 homes on Tooele City’s west side Tuesday night.

The blaze completely destroyed 10 homes and caused various degrees of fire damage to eight more, according to Tooele City Fire Chief Bucky Whitehouse.

There were also eight vehicles destroyed in the grass fire, which quickly spread from a field near the intersection of 700 South and South Coleman Street.

About 20 homes were evacuated during the fire and approximately 40 to 50 residents were displaced, Whitehouse said.

During a press conference late Wednesday morning, Tooele City Police Officer Tanya Turnbow said the department is working with the state fire marshal’s investigators on what is now considered arson.

“At this point we feel comfortable saying that the fire was intentionally set,” she said. (See related front-page story)

In addition to the damage to homes, three area firefighters were transported to Mountain West Medical Center with smoke inhalation and were treated and released. Nine agencies and between 80 and 100 firefighters helped battle the blaze, according to Whitehouse.

Fire crews from Tooele City, Grantsville City, Rush Valley, Terra and Stockton volunteer fire departments, along with the North Tooele Fire District and Tooele Army Depot Fire Department, responded to the blaze, according to NTFD public information Ryan Willden.

While the fire destroyed 10 homes, Whitehouse praised the efforts that prevented more structures from burning to the ground.

“Firefighter efforts were tremendous,” he said.

Despite having the first crew on scene within three minutes of the reported fire and the first engine within six minutes, the fire quickly grew, Whitehouse said. The fire’s growth was aided by 20 to 30 mph winds from the south, which pushed it toward homes on Van Dyke and American ways, as well as South Coleman Street and Concord Drive.

The fire and high winds contributed to a power outage that cut power to more than 2,600 residents overnight and the county’s fuel pumps were shut down as a precaution, Willden said. A couple transformers in the line of the fire were blown as well.

“Mother Nature was really causing some problems for us,” Whitehouse said.

With fire crews attempting to hold the fire on the south side of Van Dyke Way, six fire engines were parked within essentially a city block, Whitehouse said. That led to issues with keeping water volume high enough while firefighters attempted to hold the line, he said.

The engines on Century Drive and American Way were getting enough water volume but engines on Concord Drive weren’t getting sufficient flow, Whitehouse said. Tender trucks were brought in to feed the engines, he said.

Most blazes the fire department deals with require only one or two engines. Whitehouse said the extra engines to fight such a large fire was taxing on the water supply, with six engines essentially sharing the same 8-inch water line.

Crews from the Tooele City Department of Public Works went to the well houses and upped the pressure relief valves to redirect more water to the firefighting effort, Whitehouse said.

The houses in the two-block radius affected by the fire were predominantly modular homes and the lightweight construction of the buildings caused them to burn more easily, he said.

A fire crew with a backhoe was stationed in the area of the fire Thursday to move debris and extinguish additional hot spots, Whitehouse said.

While there have been fires in large buildings like hotels, no one connected to the Tooele City Fire Department could remember as destructive a fire, including members with decades of experience, Whitehouse said.

“As far as the number of homes in a single fire … this is the biggest event that anyone could remember,” he said.

Amber Savage, a disaster program manager for the American Red Cross, said that no one displaced by the fire had to stay at the West Elementary shelter Wednesday night. Residents displaced by the fire came in for assistance but the organization does not release information on the number of people displaced or seeking assistance.

“A lot of people are staying with family or friends, places that are more comfortable for them,” Savage said.

The shelter is transitioning to closure Thursday night, according to Savage. She said the Red Cross will still be around and those displaced can call 801-323-7000 for assistance.

In the hours following the fire, the West Elementary shelter provided food, water, Wi-Fi internet and other services to evacuees. Tooele County School District Superintendent Scott Rogers said Wal-Mart donated towels and toiletries for displaced residents, who will have access to the school’s bathroom and shower facilities.

“We just want to make life easy for them through this challenging time,” he said.

Having to tell families that their homes had been destroyed in the blaze was difficult, according to Whitehouse.

“It was definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,” he said. “The residents were very gracious, with the information that was given to them.”

An outpouring of support for the victims of the fire had Tooele County Emergency Management requesting a stop to food and water donations by midmorning. Whitehouse said he received a number of calls from agencies and individuals asking how they could help.

“It really speaks to Tooele City and the residents of this great community,” he said.

Tooele City Mayor Patrick Dunlavy said the efforts of first responders prevented the fire from destroying more homes. He thanked the outside agencies that assisted and praised the police department for helping evacuees.

“It’s a tragic situation, no doubt about it,” he said. “First responders went above and beyond.”

TCEM recommended making cash donations to the American Red Cross in lieu of bringing additional supplies to the shelter. (See related front-page story)

The victim of a Friday morning homicide on Tooele City’s east side has been identified as 66-year-old Marcella Aragon of Tooele.

During a press conference around 1 p.m., Tooele City Police Officer Tanya Turnbow said the suspect in custody is the victim’s son, Jesus “Jesse” Aragon, 44, of Tooele. He was booked into the Tooele County Detention Center on charges of homicide, resisting arrest and trespassing.

Tooele City police were dispatched to Marcella Aragon’s home at 245 E. 600 North around 7:30 a.m. for suspicious circumstances and a welfare check, Turnbow said. The reporting party, who was a family member of the victim, alerted dispatch that Jesus Aragon was in the area and acting suspicious.

When officers arrived on scene, Jesus Aragon was in the home. Officers asked him to come out to speak with them and he did willingly, Turnbow said. Officers entered the home and found Marcella Aragon deceased.

The responding police spoke with Jesus but he resisted arrest and got into a scuffle with officers, Turnbow said. He was safely taken into custody and transported to the Tooele City Police Department for questioning where he was cooperative with investigators.

Turnbow said there were obvious signs of a struggle but no definitive cause of death or motive at that point in the investigation. The victim’s body was taken by the state medical examiner’s office but officers were still inside the home and in the neighborhood conducting an active investigation.

Marcella Aragon’s brother-in-law, Joe Santistevan, spoke on behalf of the family and thanked the community for their support and the police department.

“We’d like to ask the community to give the family a reasonable amount of time for privacy,” he said.

Santistevan said Marcella Aragon was a fine individual and treated the people that she came into contact with well.

“She was well liked,” he said. “She was a well-rounded person and it’s very, very sad this had to happen.”

Santistevan said he believed that Jesus Aragon suffered from mental health problems, but was unable to give specifics.

In spite of the tragic events, the Aragon family has been handling it the best they can, Santistevan said.

“So far to this point, I feel that they’re holding up good,” he said. “They’re relying on each other, the neighbors and what not. They’ll get through this one way or another.”