A wildfire that sparked Tuesday afternoon on Antelope Island State Park and prompted visitor center evacuations had been fully contained as of Tuesday evening, officials said.
The fire initially ignited relatively close to the park’s visitor center on the island’s northern tip, between the building and the park’s main road.
But the visitor center itself was not considered threatened after air and ground resources quickly converged on the scene and established a fire line to deter flames, said Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands spokesperson Kelly Wickens.
Still, the building was safely emptied and the park was closed to the public after the fire was discovered at around 1:10 p.m., according to Utah Fire Info.
The wildfire had scorched an estimated 59 acres as of Tuesday evening but by then was considered 100% contained. In firefighting, “containment” refers to how much of a blaze’s perimeter is secured, not how much of a fire is still burning.
The park will remain closed until officials have a chance Wednesday to reevaluate whether or not to reopen, officials said. The affected area will be closely monitored over the next few days.
Investigators determined by late Tuesday that the fire was human-caused, though officials didn’t immediately provide further details.
Though the fire remained relatively small after successful containment efforts, Antelope Island itself spans only about 30,000 acres. It is the largest island on Great Salt Lake and home to popular recreation areas as well the nation’s largest and oldest public bison herd.
It is not yet known how the fire may impact the state park’s wildlife.
In 2016, a wildfire at the state park consumed nearly half of the island. Officials back then believed it was sparked by lightning. The park’s bison herd seemed largely unfazed, one official noted at the time.
As of at least July 16, the state park has had stricter fire restrictions in place, including no open fires of any kind; no smoking unless within vehicles or on paved areas clear of vegetation; no fireworks (which are always prohibited); and no cutting, welding or grinding in areas of dry vegetation.
Earlier this month, officials broke ground on a new visitor center at the park. The expanded visitor and learning center is projected to open in July 2025. It’s unclear if construction work was underway at the time the wildfire ignited Tuesday.
The fire sparked Tuesday remains under investigation, officials said.
