Machine Gun Fire
Encyclopedia
The Machine Gun Fire or Camp Williams Fire was a wildfire
in Herriman
Utah
in 2010 that burned several dwellings. It was started by a mistake at a firing range by National Guard troops on a training exercise. 4,351 acres burned, approximately 1600 homes were evacuated, and 3 homes were destroyed.
for the afternoon of Sunday, 19 September 2010. As is common in the area during the late summer, the east winds off of the Wasatch Mountains
picked up in the afternoon. On the previous Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service
issued a Fire Weather Watch
for Saturday and Sunday. On Friday afternoon, it upgraded the alert to a Red Flag Warning
for the entire weekend. Despite the dry conditions and base protocols that interdicted live-fire training during Red Flag conditions, a unit of the Utah National Guard
commenced the live-fire exercise, although no highly flammable tracer rounds were used. Shrapnel ignited the brush. The Utah National Guard admitted full responsibility.
from the camp with the assistance of two Black Hawk helicopters attempted to put out the blaze, but were unsuccessful, and the fire, whipped by dry winds, burned northwestward across Oak Springs Hollow. Camp Williams firefighters notified the Utah Unified Fire Authority who mobilized local fire agencies. However the fire crossed Shep's Ridge, and continued on to burn some houses on the edge of Herriman. The fire had burned over 4,351 acres and was fully contained by 24 September 2010.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds in paying the costs of fighting the fire. FEMA approved the Fire Management Assistance Grant under a statute which provides reimbursement of up to 75 percent of the state's qualifing fire fighting costs.
Evacuations continued into Tuesday September 21, 2010, although the number of homes under evacuation orders lessened to 450 homes. The same day, it was announced that the fire was 50 percent contained. Several residents were allowed back to their homes.
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
in Herriman
Herriman, Utah
Herriman is a city in southwestern Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. The population was 21,785 as of the 2010 census. Although Herriman was a town in 2000, it has since been classified as a fifth-class city by state law. The city has experienced rapid growth since incorporation in 1999, as its...
Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
in 2010 that burned several dwellings. It was started by a mistake at a firing range by National Guard troops on a training exercise. 4,351 acres burned, approximately 1600 homes were evacuated, and 3 homes were destroyed.
Origin
Live fire 50 caliber machine gun training had been scheduled at Camp WilliamsCamp W. G. Williams
Camp W. G. Williams, also known as Army Garrison Camp Williams, is a National Guard training site operated by the Utah National Guard. It is located south of Bluffdale, west of Lehi, and north of Saratoga Springs and Cedar Fort, approximately south of Salt Lake City, straddling the border between...
for the afternoon of Sunday, 19 September 2010. As is common in the area during the late summer, the east winds off of the Wasatch Mountains
Wasatch Range
The Wasatch Range is a mountain range that stretches approximately from the Utah-Idaho border, south through central Utah in the western United States. It is generally considered the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Great Basin region...
picked up in the afternoon. On the previous Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
issued a Fire Weather Watch
Red flag warning
A Red Flag Warning is a forecast warning issued by the United States National Weather Service to inform area firefighting and land management agencies that conditions are ideal for wildland fire ignition and propagation...
for Saturday and Sunday. On Friday afternoon, it upgraded the alert to a Red Flag Warning
Red flag warning
A Red Flag Warning is a forecast warning issued by the United States National Weather Service to inform area firefighting and land management agencies that conditions are ideal for wildland fire ignition and propagation...
for the entire weekend. Despite the dry conditions and base protocols that interdicted live-fire training during Red Flag conditions, a unit of the Utah National Guard
Utah National Guard
The Utah National Guard consists of the:* Utah Army National Guard**19th Special Forces Group **85th WMD CST**97th Troop Command**115th Engineer Group **211th Aviation Group**300th MI Brigade **640th Regiment...
commenced the live-fire exercise, although no highly flammable tracer rounds were used. Shrapnel ignited the brush. The Utah National Guard admitted full responsibility.
Supression
After the fire was noted on the Camp Williams Machine Gun Firing Range, on Sunday afternoon, fire crewsFirefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
from the camp with the assistance of two Black Hawk helicopters attempted to put out the blaze, but were unsuccessful, and the fire, whipped by dry winds, burned northwestward across Oak Springs Hollow. Camp Williams firefighters notified the Utah Unified Fire Authority who mobilized local fire agencies. However the fire crossed Shep's Ridge, and continued on to burn some houses on the edge of Herriman. The fire had burned over 4,351 acres and was fully contained by 24 September 2010.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds in paying the costs of fighting the fire. FEMA approved the Fire Management Assistance Grant under a statute which provides reimbursement of up to 75 percent of the state's qualifing fire fighting costs.
Evacuations continued into Tuesday September 21, 2010, although the number of homes under evacuation orders lessened to 450 homes. The same day, it was announced that the fire was 50 percent contained. Several residents were allowed back to their homes.