PARK CITY — The Falling Star Fire burning north of Park City reached 80% containment Monday and crews will begin to leave the area on Tuesday.
"I just talked to the incident commander and he said that it's getting better all the time," Stillwater County Disaster and Emergency Services coordinator Carol Arkell said. They're looking at switching out crews tonight, but everything is very contained within the black lines. So, we're looking great," Arkell said.
The human-caused fire broke out at around 1 p.m. Sunday and burned 2,271 acres of mostly private land, according to Arkell who added that a few structures were singed but none were completely lost to the fire, Arkell said.
Around 300 homes were threatened and residents on Benedict Gulch Road and Valley Creek Road were evacuated. Arkell said people got to go back to their homes around 8 p.m. Sunday.
About 130 firefighters were working the fire earlier on Monday. Arkell said three engines would stay in the area overnight doing patrol, but the majority of the crews will leave the area Tuesday.
No details are available about what caused the fire, other than that it was started by humans in Yellowstone County and the fire moved west into Stillwater County. Arkell said Yellowstone County Sheriffs are investigating the cause.
She said generally, the insurance company of the person who started the fire can be held responsible for the cost of firefighting services. Local firefighters will be getting some help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help pay for the cost of firefighting.
