The Trail Mountain Fire continues to burn at a rapid rate due to windy weather conditions flaming the fire.
Due to the fire behavior around 8:00 pm on Wednesday, a precautionary measure was made by Emery County Sheriff’s Office to close SR31 from just above Huntington Power Plant turnoff up to MP18.5 which is the turnoff to Miller’s Flat. The power plant is not being shut down.
As of midnight Thursday, the fire had grown to 9,554 acres and was 10 percent contained. Everything went well with the evacuation of Bear Canyon, Trail Canyon and Rhino Mine. ECSO expresses appreciation for the cooperation during the evacuation. SR31 is closed from the Rhino Mine turnoff up to MP 18.5 which is the turnoff to Miller’s Flat. The weather forecast is RED FLAG in the fire area today, which means another difficult day for firefighters.
At 8:00 am Thursday morning an update on the fire was released. It stated that low overnight relative humidity and strong early morning winds on the ridges in the fire area may cause fire activity to pick up earlier today than it did yesterday. Highway 31 (Huntington Canyon Road) will remain closed as equipment and crews continue working in close proximity to the road. Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading across the highway. Emery County Sheriff’s Office closed the highway through Huntington Canyon last evening, from the Power Plant up to milepost 18.5 (the turnoff to Miller’s Flat), as a result of significant fire activity and heavy smoke. All residents and visitors have been safely evacuated, including residents, workers, and recreationalists. The Power Plant does remain open.
The Incident Meteorologist has issued a Red Flag Warning for the day due to critical weather factors. Above normal temperatures, low humidity, atmospheric instability, and increased winds are all expected today. A Red Flag Warning indicates to firefighters that fire behavior could be extreme and rapid-fire growth is possible. It is likely the fire will continue to spread north along Highway 31, where timber is denser.
Firefighters are using natural and manmade barriers to contain the fire perimeter and reduce firefighter risk in the thick brush and timber. Rocky ridges and roads are examples of barriers being evaluated. Preparation of these indirect fire lines includes the removal of vegetation to widen the barrier. Where terrain allows, firefighters are also using dozers to create fire lines around infrastructure in the event the fire reaches those structures. Additionally, helicopters support ground crews by dropping water on the fire, allowing firefighters to work directly along the fire perimeter.
Closures: The Manti-La Sal National Forest has closed Indian Creek Campground, Forest Trail 0051, and Forest Roads 0034, 2302, 2181, 2180, and 2182. Trail Canyon and all campgrounds between the Huntington Power Plant and milepost 18.5 of Highway 31 are also closed.
For More Information: Visit InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5830/ and Utah Fire Info at https://utahfireinfobox.com/. You can also follow Utah Fire Info on Twitter, https://twitter.com/UtahWildfire, and Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/UtahWildfire/.