Photo courtesy of Jason Porter
Fire personnel from the BLM are on the scene of the Bear Fire that started up around 1:00 pm on Tuesday June 8 around mile marker 228 in Price Canyon. Over night the fire consumed over 1,900 acres in terrain that is steep and rugged and have been attempting to fight the fire through air support.
Speaking with Geoff Liesik with firenet.gov, we talked about the crews on the ground and what is being done at this time.
“The BLM is managing this fire right now. We’ve got two Hot-Shot crews, those are inter-agency crews, six engine crews out there. We’ve used an air attack platform, that’s a plane that flies over and identifies the areas that either crews need to get into or that we can do bucket work or tanker drops. We did have a couple of tankers that were used on the fire last night. Anyone that is familiar with that area knows how rugged and steep it is, it is not someplace that we are able to put firefighters on the ground.”
As of this time US-6 is still open, however detours could be put in place to route traffic away from the area. Liesik explained what “trigger points” or “management action points ” are and how they are implemented.
“So fire managers have identified what we call “trigger points” or “management action points” where we are looking at if the fire gets to here or we get this much smoke or if we need to do an operation along the side of US-6, we would work with our partners at Highway Patrol or UDOT to say okay we need to shut down US-6 and put a detour in place so that we can take care of what we need to take care of or for public safety or firefighters safety as far as smoke goes.”
The BLM is asking people to stay away from the area if at all possible. It’s not just for the public’s safety but the firefighters as well.
The complete interview with Geoff Liesik is below, also included is the update from this morning as well as the noon update from today (06-09-21)
Bear Fire Update
June 9, 2021
FIRE INFORMATION: 435-781-2746 daily from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/UtahWildfire
Acres 1,971
Containment 0
Cause Unknown/Under Investigation
Location 4 miles NW of Helper, Utah
The Bear Fire, located about 4 miles northwest of Helper, Utah, has burned 1,971
acres based on an infrared flight conducted Tuesday night.
Its burning like what we would expect in our peak season, which would be
mid-July, Incident Commander Jason Porter said. This kind of fire behavior is
about a month early for us. Its burning through north slopes that should still be
wet right now.
The fire started Tuesday afternoon near mile marker 228 on US-6. The cause of the
fire is unknown at this time and is under investigation.
Firefighters have been unable to build any containment line around the fire so far
because it is burning in terrain that is too steep and rugged for a person on foot.
Air tankers have been used to try to slow the fires spread and crews have focused
on working to protect structures near the fire area. About a dozen structures are
threatened by the fire.
There are two hotshot crews, six engine crews, an air attack plane and a helicopter
assigned to the fire. Due to the number of fires currently burning, air tankers are
being called in as needed but none are specifically assigned to the Bear Fire at
present. More crews and engines have been ordered.
Fire behavior moderated overnight but remained active. Todays forecast calls for
low relative humidity, strong southwest winds with gusts up to 35 mph and
temperatures in the upper 80s. These conditions create the potential for rapid fire
growth and increased fire activity. This weather pattern is expected to repeat on
Thursday.
Price Canyon Recreation Area is closed. US-6 remains open, however, smoke or fire
operations could impact travel. Use the UDOT Traffic app for updated road conditions
and travel information. Please do not stop along the highway to photograph or watch
firefighting operations. Slow down and move over for emergency vehicles, and give
firefighters the room they need to work safely.
Aside from firefighting operations and the terrain, our biggest hazard right now is
the traffic on the highway, Porter said.
June 9, 2021
Noon Update on the Bear Fire
Following a reconnaissance flight of the Bear Fire that ended a short time ago, the
fire is now estimated to be about 3,500 acres in size.
“It was definitely burning through the night,” Type 3 Incident Commander Jason
Porter said.
“After our flight we are seeing some good options, some opportunities to get in
there and slow the fire’s progress,” Porter said.
The fire is moving primarily to the west and north, following the terrain. Wind
speeds have started to increase, and the temperature is rising, setting up ideal
conditions for rapid fire growth.
The fire is being fought by crews from the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest
Service, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, and the Helper Fire
Department.
One helicopter has been assigned specifically to the Bear Fire. Additional
firefighting aircraft, including large air tankers, are being shared with the nearby
Bennion Creek Fire. More firefighting resources have been ordered.
US-6 remains open, but drivers are asked to avoid unnecessary travel through the
area for their safety and the safety of firefighters.