Cedar Hills wildfire deemed human-caused; officials plead with public for adherence to fire restrictions
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- An air tanker drops fire retardant on the Cedar Hills Fire on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
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- A large plume of smoke from a nearby wildfire hovers above homes in Cedar Hills on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
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- A large plume of smoke from a nearby wildfire hovers above homes in Cedar Hills on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
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- A screenshot from a video shows a brush fire burning near homes in a Spanish Fork neighborhood on Thursday, June 26, 2025.
A human-caused wildfire that sparked close to homes in Cedar Hills on Wednesday evening has firefighters on edge about what may be a dangerous summer.
The Cedar Hills Fire, previously called the Hub City Fire, burned roughly 14 acres near the foothills of Mount Timpanogos, according to Utah Fire Info.
Battalion Chief Brandon Boshard with the American Fork Fire Department, the agency that handles fire response for Cedar Hills, said the initial call came in just before 6 p.m. Wednesday that a large brush fire was burning and threatening a slew of homes, specifically in the area of Morgan Boulevard and Sage Vista Lane.
The fire prompted a multiagency response from neighboring fire departments in northern Utah County, southern Salt Lake County and state agencies.
A large plume of white smoke towered over the Cedar Hills area and could be seen across Utah Valley.
“We were able to basically keep that fire away from those homes and try to keep it moving up the mountain; that was our initial priority upon arrival,” Boshard said.
Officials initially said no evacuations were ordered, but Boshard clarified Thursday afternoon that residents in roughly 100 homes in the area were encouraged to evacuate.
Police also limited access to the impacted neighborhoods, but all evacuations and road restrictions were lifted by 11 p.m. Wednesday.
Crews battled the fire on the ground and from the air as helicopters dropped water and fire retardant on the flames.
By 9 p.m. Wednesday, much of the smoke had subsided, leaving a visible burn scar on the Cedar Hills mountainside.
“This fire was very, very scary for us; it was close to being a catastrophic event,” Boshard said during a briefing with reporters Wednesday night.
Crews have remained on the scene out of concern that winds may push the fire back down the hill.
As of Thursday afternoon, the fire was still active and had reached 20% containment.
“The great news is the forward progression of the fires stopped,” Boshard told the Daily Herald when reached Thursday. “So we feel like we have a good handle on it.”
State land fire crews are continuing efforts to monitor conditions and work toward full containment.
Boshard confirmed that the fire was caused by humans but was still being investigated for what exactly started it.
In the meantime, he said firefighters are concerned about what the coming summer months may bring.
As of Thursday, Utah has had more than 350 wildfires that have burned over 40,000 acres, according to Utah Fire Info.
Of those, more than 250 were human-caused.
“We are a month ahead of schedule this year,” Boshard told the Daily Herald on Thursday. “So the fires we’re seeing right now we don’t usually see till the end of July.”
But impacts are already being felt in various areas across the state.
Crews in Spanish Fork battled a small brush fire on Thursday that prompted evacuations near the Oaks golf course.
“The evacuation was lifted shortly afterward, and fire crews were able to contain the fire quickly,” city officials said in a release. “The fire burned approximately three-quarters of an acre. No structures were damaged, and no injuries were reported.”
In Southern Utah, the Forsyth Fire has been burning for more than a week in Pine Valley. According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the fire has burned more than 9,000 acres and is 5% contained.
As firefighters statewide brace for more summer heat and upcoming Fourth of July holiday celebrations, Boshard urges people to adhere to local fire restrictions and to be extremely cautious about where they light fireworks.
“The reason why those are restricted areas is the fireworks will imminently cause a fire that will cost millions of dollars to fight,” he said. “So we really want people to be smart this holiday.”
