Draper Fire crews join second day of burns near Suncrest

DRAPER — Wildland crews from the Draper City Fire Department joined the Utah Department of Natural Resources on Wednesday, Oct. 21, for a second day of controlled burning near the Suncrest area and Peak View, work the city said would last until about 3 p.m. 1.

The first day's burn ran until about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, in the same area and adjacent open space 2. Draper City announced that operation on its X account: "Utah DNR is conducting a controlled burn today in partnership with Draper Fire's wildland crews until about 5:30 PM in the Suncrest area near Peak View and adjacent open space" 3. The city's Tuesday notice did not say how many acres the burn covered or which trails or roads, if any, were affected 2.

Salt Lake County Emergency Management, which relays the city's posts, carried a separate notice Wednesday that placed the day's burning in Corner Canyon, until about 3 p.m. 3. The city's Tuesday notice had named Suncrest and Peak View 3.

Salt Lake County Emergency Management said the burns are designed to reduce the buildup of vegetation and other fuels in the area, lowering the risk of future wildfires along the Wasatch range 1. "Please, do not be alarmed if you see smoke coming from these areas," the agency said. "Calling 911 to report smoke from these prescribed burns is unnecessary" 1. It asked residents to call 911 for smoke or fire that appears unrelated to the prescribed burns or poses an immediate threat to life or property 1.

Setting the fires takes state approval. Utah's closed fire season runs from June 1 through Oct. 31, and during it fire is set only under a state-issued burning permit 4. The director of the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands must approve prescribed burning in wildland areas, and the approval turns in part on the National Weather Service clearing index for the area: 500 or greater, or a showing to the director that the burn will not push air quality past a standard, minimize long-range smoke transport and protect visibility in federal Class 1 areas 4. Prescribed burns that use division assistance must have a written burn plan reviewed and approved by the division, under Rule R652-120-700 4.

The ground being treated is the part of Draper where houses meet undeveloped land. Suncrest sits in what fire agencies call the wildland-urban interface, and Draper has adopted the state's WUI code, which covers fire-resistant roofing and siding, ember-resistant vents and vegetation clearance for homes near wildland areas 2. Draper City said the state's high-risk WUI map, required by House Bill 48 in 2025, includes some buildings in the city among roughly 60,000 statewide, and residents can look up a property's rating at wildfirerisk.utah.gov 5.

The two days came near the end of a heavy fire year. Utah recorded 1,240 wildfires in the 2026 season, burning 560,795 acres, and roughly half were caused by lightning, according to state data the Draper Herald reported 1.

Draper City directs residents to its social media accounts for burn schedules and asks anyone who sees fire activity that looks unrelated to the planned operations to call 911 12.