Three separate fires ignited along a Union Pacific Railroad line between Clinton and Sunset City in Davis County on Tuesday morning. The fires, which were first reported around 9:30 a.m., resulted in the destruction of one shed and prompted the temporary evacuation of a half-mile stretch of homes on the Clinton side.
Fire crews from Clinton, Layton, Roy, Syracuse, the North Davis Fire District, and Hill Air Force Base responded to the scene. The crews worked to keep the flames from reaching nearby homes. During the response, officials had to prioritize which fires to tackle first based on smoke conditions.
Clinton Deputy Fire Chief Nick Jarvis stated that responding to three separate fires presented a challenge for crews. He noted that responders prioritized a fire involving a structure, which turned out to be a shed, while a brush truck was deployed to handle a grass fire passed during the response.
The fires left burn scars along the backyards of homes in Clinton facing the tracks. Residents in Sunset City reported seeing smoke and flames. One resident, Jason Loesch, stated that he woke up to the sound of his parents alerting him to the fire and experienced panic as he saw flames from the second fire.
In response to the fires, train traffic for both the FrontRunner and Union Pacific lines was temporarily stopped. The evacuation order for Clinton homes has since been lifted, and train service has resumed. Union Pacific stated the company is aware of the brush fire near their tracks in the Clearfield area and noted that train traffic is currently running at restricted speeds.
The cause of the fires remains under investigation by Clinton Fire. Deputy Fire Chief Nick Jarvis said officials intend to work with Union Pacific representatives to review camera footage to determine the cause of the ignition.
