EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah (AP) — A wildfire burning on a Utah military installation has officials concerned about the potential that it could spread to an area littered with thousands of unexploded shells, which could still detonate.
Utah National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Hank McIntire says the wildfire was moving away from an artillery practice area Wednesday, but it has gotten as close as a few hundred yards. Officials worry about what could happen if it marches back.
The Pinyon Fire on Utah National Guard's Camp Williams about 40 miles southwest of Salt Lake City has scorched 4.7 square miles since it was started by lightning on Sunday. It has been about 40 percent contained.
McIntire says the practice area covers hundreds of acres and has collected shells for nearly a century, since 1914.
