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 look at a map of the affected area, click here.
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Basic Information
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
|---|---|
| Cause | Lightning |
| Date of Origin | Tuesday June 26th, 2012 approx. 05:30 AM |
| Location | 15 miles NW of Huntington, UT |
| Incident Commander | John Philbin, E.arizona |
Current Situation
| Total Personnel | 463 |
|---|---|
| Size | 23,410 acres |
| Percent Contained | 10% |
| Fuels Involved |
10 Timber (litter and understory), Timber, downed and dead fuels, beetle-killed timber, some sage and Pinon/Juniper. |
| Fire Behavior |
Active. Creeping, single and group tree torching, with short upslope runs and short range spotting. In Nuck Canyon, the fire made a run in a northerly direction today in the beetle kill pine. Flame lengths of 200 feet or more, with spotting distances of up to 1/2 mile were observed. |
| Significant Events |
Fireline was constructed in Division B and C, some direct and some indirect, cold trail in Division W and X, Active fire behavior in the Nuck Woodard Canyon in Division W, headed in a northerly direction. Structure group continued to prep buildings. Management Action Points continued to be established. |
Outlook
| Planned Actions |
Scout and construct control hand lines in Divisions A,B,C and W,X. Division Y/Z hold and mop up fire perimeter in left fork canyon. Utilize T-2 helicopters to support hand crews. Structure group continue triage and prepare structure protection plan for Clear Creek and Valentine. Set up structure protection equipment. Night shift monitor and provide structure protection as needed. |
|---|---|
| Growth Potential |
High |
| Terrain Difficulty |
High |
| Remarks |
Electric Lake area, Scofield, Clear Creek, Hiawatha, the Girl Scout Camp and other youth camps are currently under protective evacuation status, with structure protection active. Due to the vicintiy of the fire, a major oil and gas field has been shut down. Several working coal mines along with their railroad loading facilites were allowed to open at 1800 this date, but remain under a pre evacuation notice. Land ownership: BLM 1,412 acres, Private 4,065 acres, State 322 acres, and USFS 17,611 acres for a total of 23,410 acres. |
Current Weather
| Wind Conditions | 29 mph SW |
|---|---|
| Temperature | 80 degrees |
| Humidity | 7% |
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