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Tag: Utah

Strong wind spreads four wildfires in Colorado and Utah

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , , , , , 1 Comment on Strong wind spreads four wildfires in Colorado and Utah

The fires exhibited extreme fire behavior Sunday

Updated at 8:35 p.m. MDT June 21, 2021

Satellite photo, Colorado Fires
Satellite photo, Colorado Fires at 6:15 p.m. MDT June 21, 2021. NASA.

The satellite photo above taken at 6:15 p.m. MDT Monday shows the three large wildfires in northwest Colorado were very active at that time, with large plumes of smoke blowing off to the southeast.

10:16 a.m. MDT June 21, 2021

wildfires Northwest
Satellite photo of smoke from wildfires in Northwest Colorado and Northeast Utah at 6:36 p.m. MDT June 20, 2021. NASA.

Strong winds on Sunday caused four wildfires in northwest Colorado and northeast Utah to grow substantially. They are all in mountainous areas between 7,000′ and 9,400′. The three fires in Colorado listed here were all described as exhibiting extreme fire behavior. It is early in the year to have multiple large fires in Colorado. They are all in remote areas with difficult access and have the potential to continue to expand.

According to information available Monday morning there were a total of 84 personnel assigned to the four fires, which included one hand crew. With nearly 8,000 already committed to numerous fires in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and other states, it could cause a person to wonder about the availability of firefighting resources as we get deeper into the traditional fire season.

Oil Springs Fire
The largest of the four fires we’re looking at today is the 5,000-acre Oil Springs Fire in Colorado which has prompted evacuations. It has forced the closure of Highway 139 43 miles north of Grand Junction and 26 miles south of Rangely. Structures and oil and gas infrastructure are threatened. It is burning at elevations up to 7,400 feet. Winds gusting at 25 to 39 mph Sunday while the relative humidity was in the single digits resulted in the fire spreading several miles to the southeast and crossing Highway 139. A Red Flag Warning is in effect for the area just south of the fire. The wind is expected to decrease Monday but the RH will be in teens in the afternoon. Resources assigned to the fire Sunday evening included 3 engines, no hand crews, and no helicopters for a total of 20 personnel. A Type 2 Incident Management Team has been ordered. There are two other smaller fires 8 to 10 miles east of the Oil Springs Fire.

Sylvan Fire
The Sylvan Fire is burning above 9,000 feet 13 miles south of Eagle, Colorado just west of Sylvan Lake. The strong wind on Sunday pushed it about two miles to the southeast while exhibiting extreme fire behavior. Using early Monday morning heat sensing data from a satellite it appears to have grown to approximately 800 acres. As of Sunday evening there were no firefighting resources on the fire.

West Fire
The West Fire is 41 miles southeast of Rock Springs, Wyoming on the Wyoming-Colorado border three miles east of the Utah border. It is burning at elevations up to 9,400 feet. The early Monday morning heat sensing data indicates it has burned about 1,700 acres. Structures, oil and gas infrastructure, and sage grouse habitat are threatened. Resources assigned to the fire Sunday evening included 1 hand crew, 3 fire engines, and 1 helicopter for a total of 64 personnel.

West Fire
West Fire. Photo by Moffat County Sheriff’s Office June 20, 2021.

Sego Fire
The lightning-caused Sego Fire is in a very remote area of Utah 52 miles east of Price in rugged, difficult to access terrain. Smoke from the fire is very visible on the satellite photo at the top of this article. Heat sensing data indicates it had burned approximately 500 acres by early Monday morning.

Map wildfires Northwest Colorado and Northeast Utah
Map of fires in Northwest Colorado and Northeast Utah. The red areas indicate heat detected by satellites at 3:42 a.m. MDT June 21, 2021.

New evacuations ordered for Pack Creek Fire southeast of Moab, UT

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , 2 Comments on New evacuations ordered for Pack Creek Fire southeast of Moab, UT

The fire has burned more than 5,400 acres

7:44 p.m. MDT June 13, 2021

Pack Creek Fire, June 13, 2021
Pack Creek Fire, June 13, 2021. Photo by Rick.

The Pack Creek Fire 13 miles southeast of Moab, Utah was very active Sunday afternoon, sending up a large convection column topped by pyrocumulus clouds.

The blaze moved to the northeast crossing Geyser Pass Road northwest of Mt. Mellenthin Sunday, which prompted the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office to order new evacuations. The area affected is all private property east of Geyser Pass on LaSal Mountains, from Blue Lake down through the Dark Canyon area.

3-D Pack Creek Fire 3 p.m. MDT June 13, 2021
3-D map of the Pack Creek Fire. The fire perimeter was mapped at 1:58 a.m. MDT June 13, 2021.
Map of the Pack Creek Fire
The fire perimeter of the Pack Creek Fire was mapped at 1:58 a.m. MDT June 13, 2021. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 3 p.m. MDT June 13, 2021.

Sunday morning the fire was mapped at about 5,400 acres, but the growth in the afternoon will modify that number. At least 72 residences and 69 other structures are threatened.

An excessive heat warning forecast for Monday through Friday, 105° to 108° in the valley, will increase the risk of rapid fire spread. The relative humidity will be in the single digits with nighttime recovery below 20 percent.

The fire behavior forecast through Sunday night predicts that the northern flank will remain most active due to exposure to wind and receptive fuels. Torching and spotting is possible and will result in potentially significant spread. The upper elevations of the east flank will continue smoldering and creeping, however the timberline above will check significant growth.

Pack Creek Fire, June 13, 2021
Pack Creek Fire, June 13, 2021. Photo by Sara Porterfield.

The behavior of the flames in the video below is fascinating.

Red Flag weather conditions amplify wildfires in Utah

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags 2 Comments on Red Flag weather conditions amplify wildfires in Utah

Pack Creek, Bennion Creek, and Bear Fires

Updated at 9:14 a.m. MDT June 11, 2021

3-D map Pack Creek Fire
3-D map of the Pack Creek Fire, looking east at 1:25 a.m. June 11, 2021.

The Pack Creek Fire  12 miles southeast of Moab, Utah was very active through most of the night Thursday, moving east and northeast onto the upper slopes of Mt. Mellenthin where the fuel begins to thin above the 10,000-foot level. It was mapped at 4,944 acres Friday morning at 1:25 MDT. Two structures have been destroyed.

The firefighting resources assigned Thursday evening included 3 hand crews, 15 engines, and 3 helicopters for a total of 148 personnel. A Type 2 incident management team, Great Basin Team 4, has been mobilized.

9:30 p.m. MDT June 10, 2021

Pack Creek Fire
Pack Creek Fire, from Island in the Sky cam, 8:12 p.m. MDT June 10, 2021.

Hot, dry, and windy weather caused three wildfires in Utah to spread more rapidly on Thursday.

Pack Creek Fire
The newest of the large fires is the Pack Creek Fire 12 miles southeast of Moab which has burned into the Manti-La Sal National Forest. At about 6 p.m. on Thursday Utah Fire Information reported it was about 650 acres, but as this is written at 9:30 p.m. it appears it could be well over 1,500 acres, based on heat detected by satellites. The blaze was caused by an unattended campfire. One structure has been destroyed and additional structures are threatened. Due to increasing complexity a Type 2 Incident Management Team has been ordered to manage the incident.

Firefighters at the Pack Creek Fire
Firefighters at the Pack Creek Fire on Highway 6. USFS photo, June 10, 2021

Bear Fire
Two fires about 35 miles southeast of Provo were very active Thursday. As of 5 p.m. Thursday firefighters have been able to keep the Bear Fire west of Highway 6 in spite of Red Flag weather conditions.

US-6 remains closed Thursday night from milepost 221 to milepost 230. A detour route along Emma Park Road and US-191 is still in place. The detour route adds about 8 miles and 12 minutes to regular travel and gives drivers access to both directions on US-6, which will remain closed overnight and into Friday morning when the closure will be reevaluated.

A shift in wind direction Thursday has pushed more smoke into Helper and Price. Fire officials understand the increased smoke is concerning, but are confident they can keep the fire from reaching Helper.

Fire officials declined to release the size of the Bear Fire, but a very rough estimate based on heat detected by satellites indicates it has burned at least 6,500 acres.

Satellite photo of Utah Fires
Satellite photo of Utah Fires, at 5:41 p.m. MDT June 10, 2021.

Bennion Creek Fire
The second fire southeast of Provo is the Bennion Creek Fire which started June 4. On Thursday an additional mandatory evacuation area was identified — Aspen Cove in Scofield. Wednesday night the fire had burned 1,471 acres, but that number grew on Thursday.

Map Bennion Creek and Bear Fires in Utah
Map showing the location of the Bennion Creek and Bear Fires in Utah, showing heat detected by satellites as late as 3:06 p.m. MDT June 10, 2021.
Pack Creek Fire map
Map showing heat detected at the Pack Creek Fire as late as 6:30 p.m. MDT June 10, 2021.

Mammoth Fire spreads rapidly east of Cedar City, Utah

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , 5 Comments on Mammoth Fire spreads rapidly east of Cedar City, Utah

Red Flag conditions and strong winds are predicted Monday and Tuesday

9:32 p.m. MDT June 5, 2021

Map Mammoth Fire
Map showing the location of heat detected on the Mammoth Fire by satellites at 3 p.m. MDT June 5, 2021.

The Mammoth Fire 21 miles east-southeast of Cedar City, Utah spread rapidly after it was detected at 12:55 p.m. on Saturday. It is estimated to have burned at least 600 acres on the Dixie National Forest by late afternoon.

The fire is 5 miles north of Duck Creek Village and 12 miles west-southwest of Hatch and Highway 89. Approximately 200 structures are threatened.

It is burning in timber toward the east and northeast exhibiting extreme fire behavior. It is large enough to be seen by satellites and the smoke is showing up on weather radar.

Satellite photo showing the location map Mammoth Fire
Satellite photo showing the location of the Mammoth Fire in Southwest Utah at 7:35 p.m. MDT 6-5-2021.

A Type 2 Incident Management Team has been ordered. Great Basin Team 5 with Incident Commander Sam Hicks is expected to be on scene by the end of the day Sunday.

The weather will present a challenge for firefighters with a Red Flag Warning and a forecast on Monday for 14 to 20 mph southwest winds gusting in the afternoon at 30 to 38 mph as the relative humidity dips into the low teens. Conditions will be similar on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mammoth Fire June 5, 2021
Mammoth Fire June 5, 2021. USFS photo.

Range Fire at Orem, UT started from target shooting at police gun range

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , , 2 Comments on Range Fire at Orem, UT started from target shooting at police gun range

October 19, 2020   |   2:58 p.m. MDT

Range Fire
A DC-10 drops retardant on the Range Fire at Orem, Utah October 18, 2020. Photo by @bleewilliamson

Investigators have determined that the 3,450-acre Range Fire at Orem, Utah was started by target shooting at the police department’s gun range on the east side of the city. The police officer who was present is cooperating with investigators.

Range Fire origin

From the Incident Management Team, Monday, October 19, 2020:

“Fire activity on the Range Fire was minimal overnight, growth was significantly slowed by natural features. Firefighters completed a successful burn out operation last night to secure the southeast corner of the fire. Today, firefighters will be constructing hand line directly along the western perimeter of the fire. Crews will continue to mop up along the heel of the fire. Aircraft will assist ground resources by dropping water on hot spots as needed in areas where the terrain is too steep for firefighters to safely access.”

Resources assigned include 6 hand crews, 14 fire engines, and 6 helicopters for a total of 150 personnel. The estimated cost to date is $300,000.

Range Fire, Oct. 18, 2020 Orem Utah
Range Fire, Oct. 18, 2020. Photo by @tomigotchiii

Chaos on Interstate 15 as wildfire snarls traffic in Utah

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags
Cottonwood Trail Fire
The view from inside a car trapped in a traffic jam caused by the Cottonwood Trail Fire. Screenshot from video by Griffin Hunt.

A wildfire that spread across Interstate 15 prompted evacuations and caused a massive traffic jam as motorists drove within feet of a rapidly spreading fire nine miles northeast of St George, Utah Sunday.

The Cottonwood Trail Fire started about 3 p.m. on the west side of the Interstate and burned across the four-lane divided highway blackening 3,000 acres before being stopped by firefighters on the ground and in the air. Resources assigned included three large air tankers, four helicopters, and 30 fire engines.

Cottonwood Trail Fire map
Map showing the location of the Cottonwood Trail Fire at 3:18 p.m. MDT July 19, 2020.

Both northbound and southbound lanes were eventually closed temporarily due to the fire, but perhaps a little too late. All evacuations have been lifted. A Type 3 Incident Management Team was slated to assume command of the fire Monday morning.

Videos showed traffic at times stopped or slowed to a crawl as the fire burned intensely near vehicles. Some were abandoned and the passengers rescued by others.

The video below by Griffin Hunt shows the chaos as vehicles inched past flames and became trapped in the traffic jam, with some turning around on Interstate 15. David Hunt posted the video, saying, “We were driving back from a wrestling tournament and got caught by fire. The other group that was with us had to abandon their vehicle and it burned to the ground. Here’s a video my son  took.”