BRUSH FIRE THREATENS HOMES -- Four homes were evacuated in Highland on Monday afternoon after a brush fire crept dangerously close.

Firefighters arrived at the scene in the heavily wooded Bull River area to find flames shooting nearly 60 feet into the air, said Joe McRay of the Lone Peak Fire District. The blaze only burned about five acres, McRay said, but was widely spread. Firefighters from Lehi and American Fork provided mutual assistance.

McRay said it took firefighters about 30 minutes to get the fire under control and about three hours to extinguish it. Firefighters were able to keep flames from damaging the homes, saving about $5 million in personal property, McRay said. "The potential was huge," he said.

The fire began near Tamarack Drive. The cause is under investigation.

CELEBRATION TO MARK OPENING OF 4800 NORTH -- Residents are invited to join the Utah County Commission, Provo Mayor Lewis K. Billings, the Provo Municipal Council, the Miss Provo royalty, Cosmo Cougar and the mascots from Provo High School and Timpview High School for a program in honor of the opening of the 4800 North extension. The program will be at 8 a.m. on Wednesday at 4525 N. Canyon Road. The ceremony will include remarks from elected officials and from representatives of the city, the county and the general contractor.

In addition, there will be a ceremonial ribbon cutting and energizing of the new traffic signal at 4525 N. Canyon Road.

Provo Municipal Council Chairman George Stewart said he was pleased the road was finally going to open. He said friends and neighbors ask him when the project will open on a regular basis.

The road was tied up for over five years in a property dispute with the Ivie family, who owned the land where the road is now located.

Stewart said he looked forward to using the new road.

"It looks like it's going to be a beautiful ride down," he said.

MANHOLE COVER BLOW EXPLAINED -- An underground cable is to blame for a manhole cover that blew off at the intersection of 400 West and Center Street in Orem on Friday afternoon.

Rocky Mountain Power spokeswoman Margaret Oler said heat from the cable caused air to become hot. The air needed an exit and the manhole cover provided it.

"Heated air expands very rapidly. It can move objects," Oler said.

At the same time, 1,300 Rocky Mountain Power Customers lost power. Power was restored to all but 45 of the customers by 7:17 p.m. Friday.

Oler said due to the nature of the repair, the remaining 45 customers didn't have power again until 5 a.m. Saturday.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D3.