Brush, grass fires flare in South Weber and West Haven over the weekend
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- Crews from the South Weber Fire Department, Layton Fire Department and Weber Fire District work to contain a fire near Interstate 84 in South Weber on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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- Crews from the South Weber Fire Department, Layton Fire Department and Weber Fire District work to contain a fire near Interstate 84 in South Weber on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
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- The aftermath of a 5-acre grass fire at West Haven’s Prevedel Park on Friday, June 6, 2025. Crews from the Weber Fire District, Ogden City Fire and Hill Air Force Base Fire and Emergency Services assisted in suppression efforts.
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- The aftermath of a 5-acre grass fire at West Haven’s Prevedel Park on Friday, June 6, 2025. Crews from the Weber Fire District, Ogden City Fire and Hill Air Force Base Fire and Emergency Services assisted in suppression efforts.
Fires broke out in South Weber and West Haven over the weekend, signaling the arrival of fire season in Northern Utah, where warm, dry weather and abundant fuels are raising the risk of ignition.
On Sunday, crews from the Layton City Fire Department and Weber Fire District joined personnel from the South Weber Fire Department in responding to a brush fire near Interstate 84 at about 8:30 p.m. South Weber Fire Chief Derek Tolman told the Standard-Examiner that the fire was contained to a roughly 2-acre area on the south side of I-84 about a half-mile east of the Adams Avenue Parkway.
No structures were damaged by the fire.
In the wake of the incident, Tolman advised area residents to take precautions to help prevent fires from starting.
“People need to make sure they don’t have chains sparking when they’re towing trailers,” Tolman said. “Fires need to be put all the way out if you’re gonna have a fire because this time of year, if it’s not lightning, it’s typically a human-caused fire. So, everyone just needs to make sure that they’re doing everything they can to make sure that all of our dry vegetation doesn’t have any ability to start because of something we’ve done.”
Tolman added that residents should be mindful of the law and best practices with the July holidays on the horizon.
“Only use fireworks in firework-designated areas,” he said. “That keeps the public safe and keeps our guys safe.”
Sunday’s fire comes on the heels of a larger blaze at West Haven’s Prevedel Park. According to a Weber Fire District release, the department was joined by crews from the Ogden City Fire and Hill Air Force Base Fire and Emergency Services in responding to a “fast-moving” grass fire at the park at about 7:45 p.m. Friday.
“Thick, black smoke” was visible throughout the area and four campers were trapped as the fire grew, according to the release. As a result, firefighters were forced to split their resources in an effort to evacuate the individuals while also working to suppress the fire.
The flames were contained to a 5-acre area and no injuries or structural damage was reported. Preliminary investigative findings indicate that the blaze was accidentally ignited by a campfire that spread to nearby cotton debris.
Weber Fire District Deputy Chief/Fire Marshal David Reed told the Standard-Examiner that campers or anyone starting fires should continually monitor those fires, have a way to put them out and be wary of the spread of cottonwood seeds.
“We’ve just got to be super careful that, if we’re in an area with a lot of that cotton, it’s best not to have a fire right then,” Reed said. “As soon as that clears off, then you can safely have one, as long as you attend it and have a way of extinguishment.”
For public safety, Prevedel Park will remain closed to camping and foot traffic until further notice.
