Military drone sparks a 32,000-acre blaze

The U.S. military has admitted responsibility for a wildfire that started on the Utah Test and Training Range and quickly grew to a 32,000-acre blaze.

"We had a drone that was launched in support of some weapons testing," said Second Lt. Beth Woodward with Hill Air Force Base's 388th Fighter Wing. "That actually caught fire and started a brush fire on the Dugway Proving Ground property."

The drone was part of Air Force testing on Tuesday afternoon. It hit the ground and was hot, sparking a fire in the dry grass and brush. Woodward told the Deseret Morning News on Wednesday that the fire jumped a series of breaks onto federal lands.

"With the dry and windy conditions, it jumped the Dugway property to (Bureau of Land Management) property," she said.

The Quincy Fire, burning on the Cedar Mountains in remote Tooele County, has been declared contained, BLM spokeswoman Erin Darboven said.

"It probably has a lot to do with the weather," she said Wednesday.

Crews will continue to put out hot spots in the blaze. The fire is expected to be fully controlled by Friday afternoon.

The summer storm that swept across Utah helped firefighters quickly get control of a series of wildfires.

A fire that scorched nearly 100 acres in Saratoga Springs was contained just after 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Residents of 25 homes were evacuated around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night after fire crews thought the fire might spread.

"None of (the houses) were burned, but the way the fire was acting initially there were some real concerns (that if it) continued that way there would be homes that would be directly threatened," said Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon. "That's why they did the evacuation."

The families were herded to a nearby LDS chapel where preparations were put in place for people to spend the night, if that became necessary, Cannon said. The Red Cross also responded to help.

However, people were let back into their homes just after midnight when the fire was determined to no longer be a threat.

Crews from Saratoga Springs, Lehi, Utah County and the Bureau of Land Management responded to battle the blaze.

The fire temporarily closed state Route 68, between mile markers 24 and 25 in Saratoga Springs.