Where a blaze had been just days before, an 18.1 acre burn scar remains.

With one arrest made following Saturday’s Mountain Road Fire in Ogden, officials have had time to assess the situation. Trails in the area are once again open and a sense of normalcy has returned.

Ogden Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Hess told the Standard-Examiner on Wednesday that there really aren’t any damage costs from the fire itself.

“Damage was limited to the natural vegetation in this area,” he said. “That vegetation will return without reseeding on its own. The only true cost of this incident would be the resources used to extinguish the fire. The State and Forest Service will assume the cost of this fire. I am not sure what that total cost will be.”

He said, as a result, there was no major cleanup needed in the wake of the fire.

According to a press release from the Ogden City Fire Department received just after 10 a.m. Saturday, crews were summoned to a reported vegetation fire in the area of 1100 North Mountain Road around 12:49 a.m. Saturday.

“Callers reported large flames and rapid fire spread that threatened several homes in the area,” the release said. “Fire crews arrived and immediately initiated an aggressive attack, with the primary objective of protecting nearby structures. As additional resources arrived, firefighters transitioned to a coordinated direct attack on the fire, successfully stopping its progression to the north and south.”

Hess said that several structures on Rancho Boulevard and Bench View Drive had been threatened by the fire and that, while homeowners were made aware of the possibility, they may need to evacuate, an evacuation order was ultimately never necessary. He said that the fire ultimately took around two hours to bring under control. The U.S. Forest Service declared 100% containment of the fire later that night with responders continuing to mop up hotspots the following day.

Justin Hurd, 51, was arrested Saturday on a charge of causing a catastrophe — recklessly caused, in connection with the fire.

According to court documents, Hurd was hiking with a juvenile individual and attempted to build a campfire along the trail. The fire quickly grew out of control.

While landslides can often be an issue after wildfires due to the sudden loss of vegetation, Hess said that the burn area’s geography makes this far less likely, even with monsoonal moisture predicted to make its way into the area later this week.

“The area is mostly boulder fields and fine gravel,” he said. “This is typically very stable under heavy rain, and we don’t expect any landslides in the area. That’s not to say that some strange act (couldn’t) happen that would cause problems.”

He added that just because there’s the potential for rain on the horizon doesn’t mean people should let their guard down regarding the wildfire risk.

“Even with forecasted rains, fire danger remains extreme and will continue to be so throughout the rest of the year,” he said.  “Everyone needs to maintain a heightened awareness of responsibility when using or doing anything that could start a vegetation fire.”