Wednesday as the fire continued to move north it split into two heads and pushed around the homes at the northern end of Wanrhodes Creek. Days of investment in structure protection work paid dividends in homes saved.
Temperatures rose into the 80s, relative humidity dropped as low as 3% and winds gusted to over 30 mph. These conditions coupled with dry fuels resulted in extremely active fire behavior across the fire area.
Three task forces of fire engines were mobilized and prepositioned to provide structure protection for homes and infrastructure in the Hobble Creek area, should it be needed.
The fire crossed the control line on the south flank above Ponderosa. Fire crews from both Bald Mountain and Pole Creek Fires immediately responded to contain the “slop over.” We hope to contain this breach by midday.
A weak cold front moved across the area overnight and winds have shifted from southwest to northwest. This will result in winds pushing the fire south, testing control lines. Fire crews will continue to provide structure protection and improve and strengthen direct and indirect control lines.
At 2:45p.m. Wednesday a drone was spotted inside the restricted airspace above the southern end of the Pole Creek Fire. All firefighting aircraft in the area were immediately ordered to stand down for their safety. Three helicopters that had been supporting fire crews on the ground with bucket work were pulled out of the area. Incident aircraft were grounded until it was confirmed the airspace was again safe.
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office announced that a section of Highway 89 from Mile Post 302 south to the Utah County line reopened. This will allow residents of Eagles Landing and south to return to their homes. Highway 6 is now open to the public.
A community meeting was held Wednesday evening at Maple Mountain High School. Two hundred fifty residents received an update on the status of the Pole Creek and Bald Mountain Fires. The community expressed their support for the firefighters and the suppression efforts.
Air Quality Information: https://tools.airfire.org/outlooks/CentralUtah
Area Closures: The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest implemented an area closure for the fire area, which will be in effect until further notice. The closure order and map can be found under the closure tab on the Pole Creek Fire InciWeb page. The closure also includes Santaquin Canyon, Mona Pole Canyon, and the Nebo Loop National Scenic Byway from Payson Canyon to Salt Creek Canyon.
Road Closures: US Highway 89 is closed at the Thistle Junction on Highway 6 (Milepost 297) to Milepost 302, just above the community of Eagles Landing.
See the Utah Department of Transportation website for more information:
Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR): There is a temporary flight restriction over both fires: http://trf.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_8_1898.html