The Utah fire that forced evacuations of at least 400 homes started at an abandoned campfire, officials say

The homes in the area will remain under evacuation until Saturday morning, Bountiful Police Chief Tom Ross said in a Facebook video, as officials want to make sure the fire will not reignite overnight.

The blaze was believed to have started at an abandoned campfire, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest officials said in a social media post.

Authorities say they're now looking for two people in a small SUV, who may have been in the area around 1 a.m. local time.

Officer's report saved lives

An officer on patrol discovered the fire early Friday morning as it burned down a hillside toward some homes in Bountiful, a city of about 50,000 people roughly 10 miles north of Salt Lake City, Bountiful police Lt. Dave Edwards said.

That officer's report led to the evacuations and saved lives, Edwards said.

At least eight homes caught fire, three of which are destroyed, Edwards said. At one burned home, only a chimney remained, he said.

The blaze burned about 160 acres by mid-morning. No injuries have been reported.

The fire was moving toward homes when a police officer on patrol saw it, police say.

The fire was pushed early Friday by winds of about 30 mph, Edwards said.

A day earlier, the National Weather Service had warned the area had a high fire risk, in part because of the possibility of lightning during hot and dry conditions.

CNN's Sheena Jones contributed to this report.

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