Police say a woman arrested for allegedly starting a brush fire that threatened houses near Point of the Mountain in Draper told a witness she started a small fire and the wind blew it out of control.
The fire started Tuesday around 1:45 p.m. and could be seen burning in dry grass near Interstate 15. It also burned near four homes, but fire crews were able to cut a line behind the houses, stopping it from moving closer.
Residents were on standby for evacuations, but were never asked to leave, fire officials told The Salt Lake Tribune.
Police arrested the 20-year-old woman on Wednesday after speaking with a witness who said the woman told him she had started a small fire and the wind blew it into a gulley. He also said the woman grabbed a broom to try to stamp out the flames, according to her probable cause statement.
The woman’s sister told police the 20-year-old admitted to starting the fire, according to the statement.
When police went to arrest the woman, they saw her carrying a bucket, “assumed to contain water," and took her into custody.
She was booked into Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of reckless burning, a class A misdemeanor. She has since been released.
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