The wildfire that began on the northern edge of the Stansbury Mountains is controlled but not out, according to Tooele County Fire Warden Daniel Walton.
A large fire goes through a series of phases, which include initial attack, extended attack, contained, controlled and finally out, Walton said. The Ellerbeck Fire, which burned approximately 4,000 acres, likely won’t be considered out for a couple of weeks, and fire crews will continue to patrol the area and evaluate post-fire rehabilitation work.
Last Wednesday, the Ellerbeck Fire, which was sparked by lightning, was at 80-percent containment, according to the state Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.
Other fires in the county included a fire north of Interstate 80 near milepost 64 last Wednesday, which burned 100 acres but was contained within four hours, according to Walton. The cause of the fire is undetermined, but investigators suspect it may have been sparked by recreation equipment such as an all-terrain vehicle or dirt bike.
A lightning-caused fire was sparked on Friday on the south end of the Simpson Mountains, just over the border with Juab and Tooele counties, according to Walton. The fire burned 31 acres and took two shifts to reach controlled status.
Another lightning caused fire was sparked Friday in the Tintic Mountains east of Lofgren, according to Walton. The fire burned a tenth of an acre.