Firefighters stop wildfire at Springville, UT after burning 167 acres

Round Fire Utah
Round Peak Fire east of Springville, Utah.

A wildfire just east of Springville, Utah (see the map below) burned 167 acres before it was stopped by firefighters yesterday. At Wildfire Today we don’t often devote an article to a fire this size, but the Round Peak Fire is notable in two ways. One, that the U.S. Forest Service employed a different strategy from what they used last summer on the Bald Mountain and Pole Creek Fires about 8 miles to the south. Those fires were initially managed to accomplish resource management objectives. In other words, they were not suppressed, just herded around. As the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest inadequately considered fuel moistures, drought, and the weather forecast, the two fires merged and burned over 120,000 acres forcing evacuations of communities.

But the Round Peak fire, ignited by a campfire at 9:30 p.m. July 15, was suppressed. The resources the Forest Service used included 4 hand crews, 2 helicopters, 4 Single Engine Air Tankers, 1 large air tanker (MD-87), and 1 Very Large Air Tanker (DC-10).

In the video below it is difficult to determine what type of fixed wing aircraft it is, but it appears to be a DC-10, especially considering the length of the drop.

In addition to the Forest Service aggressively attacking this new fire, another reason we are writing about this fire is that numerous photos of the fire are available, supplied by Utah Fire Info and the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.

map Round Peak Fire
Map showing the location of the Round Peak Fire east of Springville, Utah. Wildfire Today.
Round Fire air tanker drop Utah
A DC-10 drops through the smoke on the Round Peak Fire east of Springville, Utah.
MD-87 drops on the Round Peak Fire
An MD-87 drops on the Round Peak Fire east of Springville, Utah. Photo by Jocelyn Marie Cooley.
Round Fire air tanker drop Utah
A Single Engine Air Tanker drops on the Round Peak Fire east of Springville, Utah.
helicopter Round Fire Utah
A helicopter with a water bucket maneuvers over the Round Fire east of Springville, Utah. Two Single Engine Air Tankers are in the background..
Round Peak Fire air tanker drop Utah
A DC-10 drops on the Round Peak Fire east of Springville, Utah.

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Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.

One thought on “Firefighters stop wildfire at Springville, UT after burning 167 acres”

  1. It would be interesting to know how effective retardant & water were on slowing the spread of the fire (as I’m guessing they were) after they were applied.

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