Neola, Utah – A fast-moving wildfire burning in eastern Utah overcame two men who were working in a hay field, and a third man died overnight from injuries he suffered in the blaze, authorities said.
A 63-year-old man and his 43-year-old son were working in the field Friday afternoon when they were caught by the fire and died at the scene, said Louis Haynes, a spokesman for the Uintah Basin Interagency Fire Center.
A 75-year-old man injured in the fire died overnight, Uintah County Sheriff Jeff Merrell said Saturday. An 11-year-old boy who was with the men survived.
The fire started north of Neola, about 100 miles east of Salt Lake City, on Friday morning. By Saturday afternoon, about 23 square miles, including part of Ashley National Forest in the northeastern corner of the state, had been consumed. The cause of the fire was unknown Saturday.
Gov. Jon Huntsman requested aid from the Federal Emergency Management Association after being flown over the area.
In California, evacuated residents were returning to their burned-out streets Saturday after a wildfire near Lake Tahoe destroyed more than 200 homes and charred 3,100 acres. Investigators said the blaze was started by an illegal campfire and was 80 percent contained.
About 1,300 firefighters remained in the area Saturday, compared with more than 2,000 a day before, said Steve Johnson of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
Both wildfires were fueled by dry conditions in the West.
A U.S. Forest Service investigation found that the fire south of Lake Tahoe was built in a campfire-restricted area but said there was no evidence it was deliberately set to spark the devastating wildfire that has displaced about 3,500 people.
Donna Deaton, an investigator for the U.S. Forest Service, said Friday that the fire was built near Seneca Pond, a popular recreation area south of Lake Tahoe. There were no suspects, she said.
