Local firefighters battled a series of fires in the Ninigret and Peterson industrial depots Wednesday afternoon, and one of the fires is being investigated as suspicious.
Two fires were sparked along Industrial Loop Road, about 200 yards apart, according to Tooele City Asst. Fire Chief Jed Colovich. The fire was reported at 2:48 p.m., and Colovich said the two separate fires merged together, burning an area of about 32 acres.
The initial two fires were considered suspicious but it was determined they were likely caused by a grader ploughing out brake lanes in the area, Colovich said. Tooele City Fire Department, Tooele Army Depot Fire Department and Tooele County Fire Warden Daniel Walton responded to the fire. It took firefighters about an hour and a half to knock down the fire and complete mop-up work, Colovich said.
Around 5 p.m., another fire was sparked on the east side of Garnet Street, which burned brush along an embankment. The fire is regarded as suspicious in nature and is being investigated by Walton and the Tooele City Police Department, Colovich said.
The Garnet Street fire took approximately one hour from initial response through mop-up, according to Colovich. A total of seven brush trucks were used to combat the fires, including four from Tooele City Fire Department, two from Tooele Army Depot Fire Department and one from the county fire warden.