This is your rundown of the daily news for Monday, July 29. In this edition:
- A new segment of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail opens in Hyde Park Canyon this weekend
- Intermountain Health announces the opening of a massive solar farm in Huntington
- The evacuation order issued due to the newly ignited Kolob fire has been lifted
- A blown tire sparked a grass fire near Enoch
- The victims of a drowning accident at Lake Powell have been identified
- Updates on fires throughout Utah
New segment of Bonneville Shoreline Trail opens in Hyde Park Canyon
A new segment of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, covering 2.85 miles in and around Hyde Park Canyon, opens Aug. 3. A free, public, grand opening event featuring a fun run, a ribbon cutting ceremony, and breakfast will take place on Saturday from 7 to 11 am at Hyde Park Canyon.
The new trail was made possible by the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, the Cache County RAPZ tax, and a partnership between Hyde Park City and a willing landowner. Hyde Park is working with Trails Cache, North Logan, and Smithfield to continue trail development.
Intermountain Health opens solar farm in Huntington
Intermountain Health announced today the opening of a massive solar farm in Huntington, Utah that will power several Intermountain hospitals, clinics and other facilities for the next 20 years. According to a press release, the green power will save Intermountain more than $500,000 annually.
The 40-megawatt Castle solar farm is located 140 miles southeast of Salt Lake City and will produce enough electricity to offset the total annual use of 17 Intermountain Health facilities, including nine hospitals. By switching to solar, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions avoided will equate to removing 6,400 cars from the road.
The solar farm project is a result of a partnership with D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments, which constructed the solar farm and will own and operate the site.
Rocky Mountain Power will provide the transmission to the grid for the electricity generated at the solar plant.
Kolob Fire evacuation order lifted
After an evacuation order Saturday night, fire officials working on the newly ignited Kolob Fire said Sunday morning the evacuation order was lifted.
Fire officials said in an update Sunday evening the Kolob Fire "displayed minimal fire behavior" throughout the day, and crews achieved 40% containment.
The fire, which began about 5 p.m. Saturday near KT Campground, temporarily closed Kolob Terrace Road and forced evacuations of 300 residents nearby. Fire authorities initially estimated the size of the fire was 300 acres, but after a GPS flight Sunday morning, it was updated to approximately 600 acres.
Utah Fire Info said two structures had taken damage from the fire but didn't say what they were or how badly they were damaged.
Fire officials said the Dalton Wash area would continue to face road closures as fire crews and public safety used the area as an incident base.
Blown tire sparks grass fire near Enoch
Blown tires sparked a massive grass fire off of I-15 near Enoch.
The fire, named the "Tank Fire" affected southbound I-15 near mile marker 64.
According to Utah Highway Patrol, the Tank Fire was caused by a motorist "who blew tires out."
The fire burned an estimated 10 acres, but crews were able to stop its forward progression.
Crews are continuing to work on mop-up operations.
Lake Powell drowning victims identified
Friends have identified the two 4-year-old boys who died Friday along with a woman after the pontoon they were being towed in at Lake Powell overturned, trapping them.
About 3:18 p.m., dispatchers learned of an overturned boat on Lake Powell near the mouth of Navajo Canyon.
The National Park Service said in a news release that another boater was towing the 25-foot privately owned pontoon vessel when waves contributed to the towed vessel capsizing. Several of the eleven passengers became trapped under the overturned vessel.
Rangers responded and found a person on top of the pontoon boat and others in the water, "with some of the party unaccounted for" as nearby boaters helped get the victims out of the water. First responders provided medical attention at the scene, but Gabriel Hart, 4; Zeniff Cox, 4; and Missy Hayhurst Cox Bean, 72, died during the incident. Two other people were taken to a hospital.
Another child, Audrey Cox, 7, was flown to a hospital and remains in a medically induced coma in an intensive care unit.
According to family, another victim, Missy Bean's husband Roland "Rock" Bean, is also currently hospitalized and receiving treatment for the injuries he sustained during the accident.
The accident remains under investigation by the National Park Service and local authorities.
Updates on fires throughout Utah
Sunday, blown tires sparked a massive grass fire off I-15 near Enoch.
Saturday, the Kolob Fire in Washington County grew more than 600 acres. Sunday, the fire was 40% contained.
On Friday, about three miles west of Marysvale another fire burned -- separate from the Silver King Fire that scorched more than 5,000 acres and forced some evacuations.
The Dikker Hill Fire near Coalville started Wednesday afternoon. It was estimated at more than 200 acres.
As of Sunday, that fire was 100% contained.
According to Utah Fire Info, there have been 679 fires in Utah this year -- burning more than 40,000 acres.
467 of the fires have been human-caused, 148 started by natural causes, and 64 unknown causes.
Red Flag warnings are in effect through Monday across central and southern Utah, as the hot and dry conditions may increase fire danger.
