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Update: noon
Utah County has declared a state of emergency in response to the Pole Brook and Bald Mountain fires, which are less than two kilometers from the towns of Elk Ridge and Woodland Hills.
Utah County Commissioner Bill Lee announced Saturday morning that a state of emergency had been declared and a written statement had been sent to Utah Governor Gary Herbert.
"The Vice President of the Utah County Commissioners has declared the state of emergency on behalf of Utah County and will execute for and on behalf of Utah County the following day. spending emergency funds from all available sources, the request for assistance from the state, "says the statement.
Lee said at a press conference Saturday morning that he hoped the statement would raise awareness that the county needed help, but also said that it was necessary to review the policies the manner in which this fire has been treated.
If a person starts a forest fire, they are held accountable, said Lee, but the federal entities knew that this fire was burning and had not put it forward until it became a crisis.
"They knew this fire was up there," Lee said. "It was love at first sight, but nevertheless this fire was supposed to be confined and controlled.They let it burn for weeks before exploding.Where's the responsibility? We will have to have these conversations ended with."
The Utah County Health Director, Ralph Clegg, also said at the press conference that a notice to people to stay indoors is still in place because the smoke and smoke particles suspended in the air are unhealthy.
This applies especially to people with sensitive health problems or very young or very old.
Incident Commander Marty Adell said fire crews on both sides of each fire were trying to contain him.
The Pole Creek fire uses heavy planes, and helicopters drop buckets of water into the Bald Mountain fire to try to slow down growth.
No structures were lost at this time, including at the Dell Maple Scout Camp, Adell said. Emergency lines are also being built near the affected communities.
Sgt. Spencer Cannon, of the Utah County Sheriff's Office, said it's vital that people respect all evacuations and road closures at this time.
Updated: 9.30am
On Saturday morning, according to Suzie Tenhagen, US Forest Service Information Officer, no homes were burned by the Pole Creek or Bald Mountain fires.
On Saturday morning, the US Forest Service reported that the Pole Creek fire reached 68,347 acres and, according to Utah fire information, the Mount Bald fire is 17,760 acres. This brings the total area of both fires to over 86,000 acres.
Although the fire continues to grow, Tenhagen said that there were areas on several ridges where the fire has not progressed significantly throughout the night.
On Friday, crews were able to reduce their backlog in key areas and teams focused on protecting structures. Helicopters will be available Saturday to support the teams.
According to the US Forest Service, additional resources have been commissioned, including crews, engines, bulldozers and air assets.
The rapid growth of the massive fire has been caused largely by warm winds, which are expected to continue until Saturday, said Tenhagen, creating the possibility that the fire continues to grow. Winds can also result in the grounding of firefighting planes.
The management team of Great Basin Incident I has taken over the management of the Pole Creek Fire and is headquartered in Spanish Fork. A second incident management team I is in transition Saturday to take charge of the bald mountain fire.
The two teams will work together, said Tenhagen. Due to the impossibility of doing the infrared flights, it is still not clear whether the two fires have merged, but the assumption is that they have or will be coming soon.
The Utah County Forestry Bureau announced that it was planning forest services closures in the Diamond Fork area, including the Diamond Fork Road that passes north of Wanrhodes, Red Ledges, said US Forest Service. Hot pots and Springville Crossing, although these closures have not yet been put in place.
Utah County officials are expected to submit a crisis statement Saturday morning, according to UCSO officials.
There will also be a community meeting on Saturday at 5:00 pm, organized by the Great Basin Incident Management Team. The meeting will be held at the Salem Hills High School auditorium and the incident management team will provide the latest information on both fires.
Quality of the air
Smoke levels cause poor air quality throughout the Wasatch front area on Saturday, with particularly poor air in southern Utah.
According to the Utah Air Quality Department, residents can expect the highest levels of smoke in the air to spread in the morning and to disappear in the aftermath. midday.
"Smoke from fires will result in high concentrations in some areas," Utah wrote in a social media article. "If the smoke gets thick, people with heart or lung disease should reduce their efforts and activities outside."
According to Utah DEQ, Utah County was ranked Saturday in the "unhealthy" range for air quality.
Evacuation status
All evacuations and pre-evacuations have the same status as Friday.
Elk Ridge, Woodland Hills and the covered bridge area in Spanish Fork Canyon are still under mandatory evacuation.
Parts of Spanish Fork, Payson and Salem are subject to pre-eviction notices.
Sgt. Spencer Cannon, of the Utah County Sheriff's Office, said the evacuations would be in place at least until the end of Saturday.
"I know the weather forecast is for increasing winds throughout the day," said Cannon. "The wind should choke tonight, there are still a lot of unknowns, it's still very close to Elk Ridge and Woodland Hills."
Cannon said UCSO was working with evacuees who have to return home for important items such as drugs.
closures
US Highway 89 remains closed from the junction of the US Highway with Utah-Sanpete County Line 6. The United States was closed Thursday night but was reopened on Friday morning.
The Payson and Santaquin canyons are both closed and the Nebo Loop Road in Nephi Canyon is closed.
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