SALT LAKE CITY — U.S. Forestry officials announced Monday that federal charges are pending against two people believed to have started a fire above Bountiful that destroyed three homes and damaged others.

Jason Curry, with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, said a campfire was determined to have started the Gun Range Fire that damaged five homes in addition to the three that were destroyed. The fire that started Aug. 29 burned about 300 acres and forced the evacuation of approximately 400 homes in the foothills above Bountiful and Centerville.

Curry said because the fire was started on U.S. Forest Service land, the two individuals will be charged in federal court. The campfire was not in a restricted area, he said, but the pair will face charges relating to not properly extinguishing the fire and not having good clearance around the campfire area.

Names of the two people facing charges, both adults, were not immediately released. Curry said both have been cooperating with authorities.

Fifty-five wildfires this year have been caused by campfires, according to the Forest Service.