Local Emergency Declared In Response To Parleys Canyon Fire In Utah

The Parleys Canyon Fire is burning in Summit County. On Monday, Summit County issued a Declaration of Local Emergency in response to the fire, reported ABC 4. Officials in the county are requesting aid from the state to help battle the fire.

The declaration states that the fire started on August 14th. It spread from Lambs Canyon to Parleys Canyon. Now, it's endangering homes and residents all across the county.

An evacuation order has been issued in Summit County for about 10,000 residents in anywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 homes. Residents are being directed to a Red Cross evacuation shelter.

The evacuation orders have now been extended through Wednesday for certain neighborhoods in the area.

On Saturday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds to help in battling the fire.

The Declaration of Local Emergency will last for 30 days. For more information on the declaration, click here.

According to The Salt Lake Tribune reported, the Parleys Canyon Fire was started by a vehicle. A fire investigator found pieced of a broken catalytic converter on the side of the road. Those broken pieces caused a spark that ignited the fire. Fire investigators are still looking for the vehicle that caused the fire.