Press Release
August 23, 2018, 8 a.m.
A community meeting will be held in Fairview this evening beginning at 6 p.m., Peterson Dance Hall, 65 State Street, Fairview, Utah. Members of the Incident Management Team, Manti-La Sal National Forest personnel and cooperators will provide an update on the status of the Coal Hollow Fire. Members of the Northern Rockies Incident Management Type 2 Team, scheduled to assume management of the 29,912-acre fire on Saturday, will also be at the meeting.
Current Situation: Rain that moved through the area over the last two days tempered fire activity and has provided opportunities for firefighters to work in areas that would have been difficult to access safely a few days ago. Yesterday, firefighters reported minimal fire activity around the entirety of the fire perimeter, taking advantage of the lull to increase containment to 64%.
In Divisions X, Z and J along the west and southwest perimeter, firefighters will be rehabilitating firelines and assessing areas that may be conducive to debris flows after receiving approximately 1 ½ inches of precipitation over the past two days. In Division X, a blend of direct and indirect tactics by fire crews will continue tying firelines together. Concerns stemming from excess moisture in recently burned areas make work in some areas more difficult than in others.
Around the remainder of the fire perimeter, Divisions M, Q, R and T, firefighters are removing equipment and working on rehabilitation and repair of areas impacted by fire suppression efforts.
Weather: Moisture left from yesterday’s storms will provide a few clouds, but expect plenty of sunshine that will start a warming trend into the weekend. A trough of low pressure will pass just to the north of Utah which will turn north of Utah and turn the winds westerly.
Information Briefing: Daily public information briefings are no longer being held at the info board at the Fairview Chevron.
NOTE: The Manti-La Sal closure orders remain in place for now and can be found on their website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/mantil
Fire Statistics
Location: 15 miles southeast of Spanish Fork, UT
Start Date: Aug. 4, 2018
Cause: Lightning
Size: 29,912 acres
Total Personnel: 498
Percent Contained: 64%
Resources Include: 2 Type 1 hand crews, 7 Type 2 hand crews, 19 engines, 3 dozers, 10 water tenders, 4 helicopters, 1 fixed wing air tankers, 1 air attack platforms, 1 masticators and overhead/support personnel