Photo courtesy of the US Forest Service
Press Release
Fire managers will now begin suppression efforts on the perimeter of the Mammoth Fire, which was a lightning-caused fire that has been managed for forest benefit. The fire is currently 800 acres. The fire has been beneficial to the land, helping restore the ecosystem by clearing up dead vegetation and downed trees from beetle kill, as well as disturbing the root system needed for aspen growth.
During the hot, dry conditions the last few days, the fire began slight movement on the northwest perimeter of the fire. Forest officials had previously determined that if the fire approached this drainage, fire objectives would change from a managed fire and suppression effort would begin. As the fire approached this point on Monday Sept 2, more firefighters and air support were ordered to start working on containment.
Crews have been inserted along the logging road, to work on a contingency line. Another crew was inserted from Skyline Drive, to begin work from the top and identify defensible areas to stop fire progression, though the fire is still slow moving in that area. Helicopters have been used to drop water on the hotspots at the bottom of the drainage and were successful in slowing the fire growth and keep it from moving up the north slope. Some rain occurred Tuesday, and more is predicted today and Thursday, which will help with containment efforts.
Due to increased fire activity and with more crews and equipment in the area, forest managers are asking the public to stay out of the area and trails around the fire. With the aircraft now in use, a TFR is in place and personal aircraft, including drones, are prohibited over the area.
Fire managers intend on 100% containment around the perimeter of the fire. However, due to the dangers that hazard trees pose to firefighters, the interior smokes that continue to smolder will be allowed to naturally burn out. Smoke will continue to be visible from Highway 31 as the fire burns internally, and will likely be visible until a large amount of precipitation is received. Once containment is reached, firefighters will continue to patrol the area, holding and securing the fireline until the fire is completely out.
The fire is about 29 miles northwest of Huntington, Utah and just southwest of the Miller Flat Junction with SR-31. The fire started on July 23, 2019 and was ignited by lightning.
Although there are no fire restrictions at this time, visitors are asked to use caution when building fires. To receive updates on fires on the Manti-La Sal National Forest, go to https://www.fs.usda.gov/mantilasal/ and sign up under Stay Connected!