More than 10 acres of a field were damaged by a grass fire that was sparked Monday morning by a pair of young boys, according to the Tooele City Fire Department.
The fire began near the intersection of 1000 North and 400 East and was reported at 10:13 a.m., Tooele City Fire Chief Bucky Whitehouse said. Strong, swirling winds quickly spread the fire through the dry, yellow grass beyond England Acres Park.
Whitehouse said the fire switched direction four times as the wind changed, leaving a twisting swath of blackened ground as the fire threatened homes on the east and west of the field, which is Tooele City property. The fire also reached the top of a Tooele City water tank in the park.
Due to the high winds and shifting direction of the fire, several homes in the vicinity of the blaze were evacuated as a precaution. The houses evacuated were located on 810 North between Broadway and 500 East, as well as several homes on Walden Drive.
Traffic in both directions on 1000 North was also halted for approximately a half hour while crews responded to the grass fire.
In addition to the Tooele City Volunteer Fire Department, crews from the North Tooele Fire District and Tooele Army Depot Fire Department responded to the fire. A total of 10 fire apparatus and 40 firefighters were involved in the effort to knock down the flames.
A buffer mowed around the tall grass in the field helped fire crews contain the fire, Whitehouse said.
“The fire did burn up to the mowed fire break,” he said. “It really helped to suppress the size of the flames.”
According to the Tooele City Police Department, two boys — ages 8 and 9 — accidentally started the fire while playing with a lighter. Both boys live near the field were the fire began.
The boys and their parents were cooperating with the police department, according to Tooele City police.