The Seeley Fire began on the Manti-LaSal National Forest with a lightning strike on June 26 and was reported at about 6 a.m. that day.
Cabins, homes and a historic ranger station were quickly threatened. Evacuations of the Electric Lake area, Scofield, Clear Creek, Hiawatha and two youth camps were implemented. Due to the vicinity of the fire, a major oil and gas field has been shut down.
The fire is burning in an area containing large components of decadent standing beetle-killed timber, dead and down fuels and some sage and pinion juniper. The fire is consuming thousand-hour fuels (large dead and down) to white ash, but slows down significantly when it reaches aspen and snowberry fuel components and the scattered fuels on ridgetops. Fire activity has included creeping, single and group tree torching with short upslope crown runs and spotting up to a half a mile.
Significant challenges to suppressing the fire are being presented with single-digit humidities at high elevations, high temperatures and variable winds.
This area is summer mule deer range along with elk, goshawk habitat and several blue ribbon fisheries. Whirling disease and spread of whirling disease is of major concern.
To view the updated information on fire specifics, click here.
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