Ten award-winning short films about climate change will screen for free Wednesday evening at Whitmore Library, two days after the Millcreek Fire burned 15 to 40 acres near Tanner Park.

The Climate Future Film Festival runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 5 in the Meeting Room on the lower level of the library at 2197 E Fort Union Blvd. in Cottonwood Heights. No tickets or registration are required, and the event is open to all ages.

The films, drawn from four continents, explore what the Salt Lake County Library describes as "inspiration, conversation, and hope around climate change."

A timely backdrop

The screening arrives during Utah's worst wildfire season in at least five years. As of early August, 747 wildfires had burned 455,741 acres statewide, more than the previous five years combined, according to TownLift. Gov. Spencer Cox warned Aug. 3 that conditions were "extremely dangerous."

Closer to home, the Millcreek Fire ignited Monday, Aug. 3, near Tanner Park in steep terrain above I-80. Unified Fire Authority crews contained the blaze before it reached homes, but the fire was the second in nearly the same spot within a month. As we reported Wednesday, the pattern has deepened wildfire concerns along the corridor.

Julie Naeth, a Millcreek resident who lives on a street adjacent to where the fire started, told ABC4 on Aug. 3: "Neighbors have come to watch on the street a few times now. It is kind of bonding for the neighborhood, but we are really glad that it has not crawled up into the neighborhood."

Getting there

Whitmore Library is a Salt Lake County Library branch about five miles south of the Millcreek Community Branch. Lower-level parking is on the north side of the building, and an elevator provides accessibility to the Meeting Room. The library's phone number is 801-943-4636.

Upcoming community events

  • Climate Future Film Festival — Wednesday, Aug. 5, 6–8 p.m., Whitmore Library, 2197 E Fort Union Blvd., Cottonwood Heights. Free, all ages.
  • Millcreek Arts Fest — Saturday, Aug. 15, Baldwin Radio Factory. Seventy-plus artists and live music.