Fire Updates: Pole Creek and Bald Mountain Fires Burn Over 90 Acres Together

Frustration, anxiety expressed at the Utah County Fire Department meeting

The smoke and flames served as a backdrop to a community meeting at Salem Hills High School, where hundreds of people gathered in the auditorium to get the latest information on the Bald Mountain and Pole fires. Creek. Thousands of people were evacuated when the fires exploded on September 13th.

"Anxious and we just want to go home," said evacuee Miranda Garcia.

The district of Garcia is right at the edge of the evacuation zone. Half of his neighborhood has been evacuated and the other half is still there. She was hopeful to learn at the meeting that she could go home, but was told that she had to wait and listen to the local officials.

People are happy that no house has been destroyed, but there is an underlying frustration that surrounds it as well. The evacuees wonder if the threat has passed. Most people left home five days ago and were not allowed to return. Instead, they are left waiting without it being possible to know when they can return home.

"I'm not worried about my house, it's more embarrassing because, well, we live in a bag," said evacuee Andrew Adams.

Then there is the frustration of how these fires became uncontrollable. Both fires started with lightning and were able to burn for days before the winds came up, changing everything.

"I understand that they have to let nature take its course. I wish they jumped into a helicopter and threw some water on it, but I know it's not always feasible, "Adams said.

It is there that the fight against fires becomes political. The fires started on federal lands.

"Obviously, decisions have been made about the number of resources to be put in place, and I think that in the coming days we will all want to know these answers and we will question them," said the District 3 representative. Congress of Utah. John Curtis.

Fires burn on the borders of the 3rd and 4th districts of Utah Congress. District 4 Representative of the Utah Congress, Mia Love, worked with the federal government on firefighting when she was Mayor of Saratoga Springs during the Dump Fire in 2012. She says local authorities need to be listened to.

"There is something to say about listening to people who are there, but we will fix it. I believe we will address this issue with respect to legislation, "said Rep. Love.

At present, the two representatives, Love and Rep. Curtis says that it is not time to have this political debate and that all resources and support must be used to help firefighters gain the upper hand.

-Kate Valentine, KSL TV

Teams gain ground on county fires in Utah

State fire officials have released updated figures on two major fires affecting Utah residents.

The Pole Creek fire had reached 74,509 acres and was confined to 25% Tuesday night. The nearby Bald Mountain fire burned 15,635 acres and contained 12%, officials said.

There are no new evacuation notices, but fire officials say that US highways 6 and 89 remain closed indefinitely.

Authorities release the latest information on fires in Utah County at 3 pm press conference

Update on the Pole Creek Fire: Crews worked Tuesday afternoon to protect the structures in the Spanish Fork Canyon Covered Bridge area, said Marty Adell, the commander of the fire operations. They lost a small shed but were able to protect the structures of the region.

The winds are currently on the side of the crew, he added. As the fire goes up at Spanish Fork Mountain, the wind will, hopefully, bring the fire back on itself and the flames will not descend to the other side of the mountain.

Fighting the fire cost a total of $ 4.7 million, Adell said.

Bald Mountain Fire: The fire remains at a containment level of zero percent, but Incident Commander Todd Pechota expects this number to change Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

Pechota added that there should be no fire advancement to the north and he hopes to see a containment at the south and southwest perimeter of the fire.

The cost of firefighting was about $ 1.5 million, although Pechota said that estimate was exceeded.

Update on evacuations: There are no updates on the evacuations. Residents of Birdseye, Woodland Hills, Elk Ridge and Covered Bridge, Diamond Fork and Sheep Creek, as well as the right fork of Hobble Creek Canyon, were evacuated.

Some parts of Salem and the left fork of Hobble Creek Canyon are currently in pre-evacuation condition.

Reopening of SR-201 lanes to the west

The westbound lanes of National Highway 201 reopened Tuesday afternoon, Transportation Department officials from Utah tweeted. The lanes were closed every Monday and Tuesday morning because of the Tooele fire.

UDOT officials who tweeted to eastern users must use the I-80 until at least Wednesday morning.

Pole Creek Fire & # 39; very active & # 39; North of US Highway # 6

US Forest Service officials tweeted Pole Creek fire was "very active" north of US Highway 6 in the Little Diamond Fork Canyon area on Tuesday afternoon.

Firefighters have been assigned to protect structures in the area, according to the tweet.

The fire has burned 74,509 acres since September 6 and is Utah's largest fire this year. It remains content at 23%.

Motorists advised not to stop on the stretch of Route 150 near Mirror Lake

US Forest Service officials advise motorists not to stop on Route 150 (Mirror Lakeway) for four miles near Mirror Lake because of Cobblerest fire at 19 miles northeast of Kamas.

The fire, which remains 100 acres, broke on Saturday. Helicopters were assigned to drop water on hot spots in the middle of the fire on Tuesday, while ground crews were working on the containment lines around the perimeter of the fire, said officials.

The Spring Canyon Road remains closed at the junction of National Highway 150 to Washington Lake because of the fire.

The slate fire, which burns six miles northeast of Kamas, remained at 268 acres. According to officials, neither of the two fires threatened the structures on Tuesday.

Riggs and Lonely fires burn nearly 1.9 hectares

According to officials, the Riggs and Lonely fires burning in the Dixie National Forest and Bryce Canyon National Park consumed a total of 1,865 acres. The fires increased by 415 acres in one day.

The main road from Bryce Canyon Park is closed to traffic at Natural Bridge south to Rainbow Point during the day and closes at Farview Point starting at 6pm. at 7 o'clock each evening. Park officials plan to open the road on Saturday.

The Riggs Spring Loop and Under-the-Rim trails of Bryce Canyon are closed. The Grandview Trail in the Dixie National Forest is also closed.

How do the current fires in Utah County compare to past fires in the area?

It only took a few days at Pole Creek Fire in Utah Co. to burn almost as much as the Dollar Ridge Fire in a few months.

Look at the growth of 5 fires in central Utah since July: Dollar Ridge, Coal Hollow, Hill Top, Bald Mountain and Pole Creek.

Thank you @JFurKSL for the dope gif pic.twitter.com/llNKubfzgT

– Liesl Nielsen (@ liesl_nielsen) September 18, 2018

A community meeting on fires in Utah County will be held Tuesday at 6 pm at Salem Hills High School

Authorities publish the latest information on fires in Utah County during the 9:30 am press conference

Update on the Pole Creek Fire: Crews have dramatically increased fire containment and have been able to rescue threatened structures in the Diamond Canyon area, officials said.

The fire collided with the Coal Hollow fire scar and stopped there without fuel.

Winds could limit crews' ability to use air assets later Tuesday, but they will use these resources until security is no longer assured, officials said.

Update on bald mountain fire: Although the fire is still at a containment level of zero percent, the teams have been able to establish a line of control that should soon be able to control the situation, officials said.

There was no loss of structure.

Update on evacuations: There are no new evacuations, officials said. Everyone in a state of evacuation or pre-evacuation will remain so until the teams are sure that he is safe.

The map below shows the areas of evacuation. Red means evacuated, yellow means that the state of pre-evacuation and white means that there is no evacuation.

#uwcnf Current evacuation map for the #PoleCreek and #BaldMountain fires pic.twitter.com/JGvV6My9iQ

– Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) September 18, 2018

Watch officials publish the latest news at Tuesday's press conference at 9:30 am:

Another day of red flag warning

Hundreds of firefighters from Utah and across the country face another red flag warning day as they battle the Pole Creek and Bald Mountain fires on Tuesday.

According to the NWS, a red flag warning is a forecast issued by the National Meteorological Service to inform crews that conditions can contribute to the burning of wildfires and their rapid spread.