Photo courtesy of the Emery County Sheriff’s Office.
Start Date: June 4, 2018
Size: 17,414
Percent Contained: 67%
Helicopters: 7
Engines: 18
Crews: 6
Total Personnel: 369
Summary: Yesterday, most fire activity occurred in Crandall Canyon. The mine and memorial remain unaffected where crews continued running pumps and sprinklers. In the right fork of upper Crandall, an unburned stand of dense conifers had the potential for intense burning as the main fire approached. A favorable wind direction allowed firefighters to preemptively burn this conifer stand with a less intense fire that slowly backed downhill. A few spot fires burned in large aspen stands but these fires did not spread.
Around the rest of the fire, firefighters brought containment to 67%. They continued patrolling and securing the fire perimeter and keeping tabs on a few smoking hot spots fanned by yesterday’s winds. They also finished chipping vegetation cut along firelines.
Today has another Red Flag Warning with warmer, drier, and more unstable atmospheric conditions than yesterday. A cold front will pass overhead tonight bringing cooler and calmer weather tomorrow.
Firefighters will work to keep the fire from moving further north, out of Crandall Canyon, and will assess the need for additional work along a ridge on the north side of the canyon. Crews will build additional fireline directly along the fire boundary south of Crandall, through Little Bear, to Mill Fork Canyons to ensure the fire stays west of Highway 31. In other areas, engines and crews will continue to monitor, patrol and look for hot spots that could become active with today’s west winds.
Closures: If you’re planning to recreate in the vicinity this weekend, please be mindful that wildland fires are constantly changing environments. Check fire conditions and closure areas via links below before heading out.
The Manti-La Sal National Forest has an area closure in effect around the fire. See a map and description of the area at: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/maps/5830. Horse Canyon Trailhead, Indian Creek Campground, Little Bear Campground, Lower Little Bear Campground, and Riverside Campsite are closed. Highway 31 is open, but please drive with caution.
For More Information: Visit InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5830/ and Utah Fire Info at https://utahfireinfobox.com/. You can also follow Utah Fire Info on Twitter, https://twitter.com/UtahWildfire, and Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/UtahWildfire/.