Utah 2003 season activity

[NJFFSA16]

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah's first large wildfire of the season
has burned over about 1,700 acres about 20 miles southwest of
Hanksville in southern Utah, and firefighters are taking a slow,
low-cost approach to attacking it.
The blaze started Friday evening when lightning struck a tree
near the Lonesome Beaver Campground in the Henry Mountains.
The fire is burning largely in pinon and juniper, Bureau of Land
Management spokesman Bert Hart said. "The fuels are extremely dry.
They just haven't had a chance to recover."
Wind and heat caused the fire to expand rapidly on Wednesday,
but it settled down some on Thursday as the weather turned cooler
and winds were lower, Hart said.
The fire has extended into two wilderness study areas, and there
are a few cabins and three camp grounds in the area.
Hart said the options for attacking the fire were full
suppression, concentrating on protecting structures or just letting
it go.
He said officials picked the middle road, protecting structures.
"We're trying to keep the cost down," he said.
There is no projected date of containment and the fire may burn
for weeks, he said.
Hart said 200 personnel, aided by two helicopters and five
engines, were expected to be on the blaze Friday.
Some area roads have been closed.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Utah's first large wildfire settling down

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah's first large wildfire of the season
was right where firefighters wanted it on Monday, and forest
managers say the blaze will ultimately make the Henry Mountains
forest more healthy.
The fire, which was started by a lightning strike near the
Lonesome Beaver campground more than a week ago, had burned 2,558
acres by Monday morning, said Susan Marzec, spokeswoman for the
Bureau of Land Management.
It burned pinyon and juniper trees at around 9,000 feet in
elevation, in an area 30 miles south of Hanksville.
"It's been burning cool," Marzec said. That means the flames
were consuming dead wood and debris - but leaving the healthy trees
and their seeds alive.
"This part of the mountain had a lot of fuel on it. It hasn't
burned in years and years," she said.
With the dead wood burned away, the forest will grow healthier
in the future, she said.
The BLM had 162 firefighters with five engines and a helicopter
working on the fire. They spent the weekend trying to surround the
blaze with fire lines. Marzec said the weather favored their
efforts.
"It's actually looking pretty good," she said. No one had been
injured and no homes were in danger.
There is a free-ranging bison herd in that part of the Henry
Mountains, but Marzec said the animals know how to get themselves
out of the way when wildfire strikes.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

July 7th

(Salt Lake City-AP) -- A wildfire that has burned more than
27-hundred acres in a wilderness area west of Blanding was
apparently caused by an abandoned campfire.
The fire began on June 28th in the Dark Canyon Wilderness Area
of the Manti-LaSal National Forest.
Forest Service fire information officer John Daugherty says the
sheriff's office is looking for information on anyone camping in
Woodenshoe or Cherry Canyons late last month.
About 160 people are working on the fire, which has been 50
percent contained. Resources include four fire crews, three
helicopters and eight engines.


(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[UTFFEMT]

Utah Update

Some fires contained, but others ignite
By Laura Hancock
Deseret Morning News

Crews are containing Utah's largest wildfires, but a handful of new blazes have ignited throughout the state.
Chris Brenchley, a fire weather forecaster for the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City, said it's the season of "prime fire weather."
"Any fires that start rapidly take off," Brenchley said. "The fuels have been stressed by drought for the past — depending on where you are in Utah — at least the last five years. That takes the moisture out of big fuels like fir trees, aspens. To top it off, we had all that grass from the spring rains."
In the Fishlake National Forest, crews in Sevier County are fighting a new 77-acre fire south of Mount Marvine, where spruce and Douglas fir trees are providing fuel. Lightning sparked the blaze July 2.
Two "hot shot" crews experienced in technical firefighting are on scene. The fire is burning in steep and rocky terrain. Three helicopters and several ground crews also are fighting the fire. The goal is to build a firebreak near the ridge top along the west flank of the fire, according to a Forest Service statement.







The Forest Service has not closed any roads but is asking travelers to drive on tarred roads and be cautious. Pilots must keep aircraft five miles from the fire and at 15,400 feet. For clearance to fly in the area, call 435-979-2838.
In Morgan County, a 20-acre blaze briefly threatened nearby houses, but crews used bulldozers to build a firebreak. The fire started Monday, and its cause is under investigation. It was contained and controlled by Monday night, said Jim McMahill of the Bureau of Land Management.
Sparks flying from a train are believed to have started a brush fire outside of Vernon, Tooele County, Monday. The fire was contained and controlled by Monday afternoon. The fire burned one-tenth of an acre, McMahill said.
A handful of federal and local firefighting crews remain on the scene of the Apex fire, 10 miles west of St. George. It was 100 percent contained and controlled last Friday. Crews are monitoring the fire's activity and will reseed the vegetation in the area. The fire has burned 33,000 acres, according to fire officials.
Pinyon Pine-Juniper trees, sage and black brush, and a non-native grass fueled the flames. Crews also will determine ways to prevent erosion, which could be a problem in hilly areas where roots that held the soil were burned.
The Woodenshoe fire, five miles west of Blanding in the Dark Canyon Wilderness Area of the Manti-La Sal National Forest, is expected to be contained by 6 p.m. Wednesday. By Monday night, the 2,710-acre blaze was 50 percent contained, said fire information officer John Daugherty. Investigators determined it was started by an abandoned or escaped campfire, he said.
Authorities are seeking information from anyone who camped in the area from June 26-28. They ask the public to call the San Juan County Sheriff's Office at 435-587-2237.
"It was much quieter today. Crews continue to tighten up fire lines, mop up," Daugherty said Monday.
About 160 people are on scene, including three helicopters, he said.

[NJFFSA16]

July 14th

HUNTSVILLE, Utah (AP) - A fire started Monday, possibly by
sparks from a backhoe, was believed to have destroyed six or seven
summer residences east of Huntsville near the Causey Reservoir.
The blaze, dubbed the Evergreen fire, started about 2 p.m.
Monday on private land in the Evergreen development and had spread
to 350 to 500 acres by early Tuesday, said Kathy Jo Pollock,
Wasatch-Cache National Forest spokeswoman.
A voluntary evacuation was suggested for the Sourdough,
Evergreen and Beaver Creek developments, which contain several
hundred summer and year-round residences.
Pollock said that from the air it appeared six or seven
residences - cabins or trailers - had been destroyed and a
fire-engine crew reported another had been damaged.
The fire was about 20 percent contained, she said.
Some residents reported that the fire started when a backhoe
struck a rock, causing sparks that ignited dry grass.
Pollock said Utah Power & Light cut power to the three areas so
the fire burning underneath lines would not cause arcing.
About 90 firefighters, aided by five helicopters, two air
tankers and five engines, were battling the fire, and Pollock said
another four crews - 80 firefighters - were expected in the
morning.
Three of the helicopters were diverted to the Evergreen fire
from the Farmington Canyon fire, which to 1,935 acres on Monday,
but was 70 percent contained.
Fire information officer Steve Segin said 297 personnel were
assigned to that blaze.
The Farmington fire was started Thursday. A homeless man, Joseph
Heinz Bruhl, 33, told law enforcement officers he started the fire
because he wanted to go to jail. He was charged Friday with causing
a catastrophe.
Elsewhere, the 126-acre Jacob Ranch west of Utah Lake was
controlled Monday. The fire was believed caused by target shooting.
Firefighters also continued to battle the 18,606-acre Bulldog
fire in the Henry Mountains in southern Utah, which was believed
started by an all-terrain vehicle that had been driven off-road. A
teenager was being investigated, said Susan Marzec, a Bureau of
Land Management fire information officer.
In another development, the total cost of the Apex fire, the
state's largest so far this season at 30,000 acres, has been
estimated at $2.2 million so far. Rehabilitation costs could add
another $1 million, said David Boyd, fire information officer. That
fire, in southwestern Utah, was started by two teenagers playing
with matches.
No decision has been made on charges, said Washington County
Attorney Brock Belnap.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

July 15th

By DEBBIE HUMMEL
Associated Press Writer
HUNTSVILLE, Utah (AP) - A relatively small but devastating
wildfire, ignited by sparks from a backhoe driving over a rock, had
destroyed six summer homes and left several others damaged when the
smoke cleared Tuesday east of Huntsville near the Causey Reservoir.
Among the residences destroyed was a trailer owned by Steve
Garcia, of West Point. He looked a pile of rubble on the charred
ground. Also destroyed in the fire was a trailer belong to Garcia's
father.
"Man, that didn't leave nothing, did it?" he said. "We were
up here last week, we had a big family reunion up here a month
ago."
The blaze, dubbed the Evergreen fire, started Monday afternoon
on private land in the Evergreen development and had blackened 360
acres by late Tuesday, said Ted Black, Weber District Fire
Marshall.
The fire was about 80 percent contained, he said. It was
expected to be fully contained later Tuesday despite searing
temperatures and higher winds, Black said.
Garcia's family has been coming to the area for about 10 years.
"As long as nobody's hurt," Garcia said. "We can replace the
trailer, but the scenery is going to be kind of hard."
Garcia and his father had discussed the fire danger just last
week and talked about moving their trailers off the land, he said.
The conditions were as dry as they had ever seen them.
Officials say the fire started when the track of a backhoe
struck a rock, causing sparks that ignited dry grass. The
Sourdough, Evergreen and Beaver Creek developments, which contain
several hundred summer and year-round residences, were evacuated
Monday. People were expected to return to their homes or to assess
damage later Tuesday, Black said.
"That's the point, if sparks can do this much damage imagine
what a careless cigarette butt, a match or an unattended campfire
can do," said Black, who had led Garcia up to the fire area to
view the damage.
Equipment and crews were readily available from the nearby
Farmington Canyon fire that had threatened homes last week and was
now nearly contained.
"It cooled right down last night, we had no down canyon winds,
everything went our way," he said. "But anytime even a single
individual is impacted this much it's a catastrophe."
About 90 firefighters, aided by five helicopters, two air
tankers and five engines, battled the fire. A helicopter and
firefighters remained Tuesday to handle hot spots.
Many of those resources were diverted to the Evergreen fire from
the Farmington Canyon fire, which grew to 1,935 acres on Tuesday
but was 70 percent contained.
Several helicopters were making passes to drop water on hot
spots on the east side of the fire, said Dorothy Harvey, fire
information officer. Nearly 300 personnel were still assigned to
that blaze, she said.
The Farmington fire was started Thursday. A homeless man, Joseph
Heinz Bruhl, 33, told authorities he started the fire because he
wanted to go to jail. He was charged Friday with causing a
catastrophe.
The increased activity in northern Utah prompted new fire
restrictions that prohibit the use of open fires or camp fires,
except in developed recreation sites. Those rules take effect at
12:01 a.m. Thursday in Davis County and the Wasatch-Cache National
Forest, the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team said Tuesday.
In Southern Utah, firefighters continued to battle the
28,382-acre Bulldog fire in the Henry Mountains. Officials say the
fire was likely started by an all-terrain vehicle that had been
driven off-road. A teenager was being investigated, said Susan
Marzec, a Bureau of Land Management fire information officer.
The fire was 10 percent contained, and had likely grown to more
than 30,000 acres Tuesday, said Lisa Reid, a BLM fire information
officer. Two cabins dating back to the early 1900s were destroyed
in the fire, as well as two vacant mining shacks, Reid said.
There were seven structures threatened Tuesday, she said. Crews
were cutting back foliage around those buildings, wrapping them
with heat reflecting material and putting foam on the roofs to
protect them if the fire approaches.

---
On the Net:
Utah wildfires: http://www.utahfireinfo.gov/
National Interagency Wildland Fires:
http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

July 16th

By DEBBIE HUMMEL
Associated Press Writer
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A fire in the Henry Mountains of
southeastern Utah grew to nearly 33,000 acres Wednesday, making it
the state's largest blaze of the wildfire season.
The Bulldog fire - which began July 8 and is named for various
"Bulldog"-titled geographic landmarks in the area - was 30
perecent contained as crews focused on shielding several cabins in
the mountain range 17 miles north of Ticaboo.
Linda Hixon, who has lived in the area for more than eight
years, said she sensed late last week that the fire would be a
problem. She started packing up sentimental belongings and by
Sunday, she and her husband had emptied the house with the help of
co-workers at the Offshore Marina at Lake Powell.
The fire approached the home Sunday night, charring the ground
around it. For now, the house is safe.
"The crews they've brought in are focused specifically on
structures and they've done an amazing job," she said. "It's just
amazing. I don't know that there's ever words to thank them for
what they've done."
The Hixons are staying at the marina until the Bureau of Land
Management allows them to return. That won't be anytime soon;
flames flared up in her driveway late Tuesday, she said.
Protecting cabins and homes in the area remains a major focus
for firefighters, said Murray Shoemaker, BLM fire information
officer.
"We had some private residences south in the Gold Creek and
Star Springs areas and those were saved," he said. "North of the
fire ... there's a number of structures up there. Our crews are
searching those out."
Authorities also fear that bison, deer and elk herds may be in
danger. Wildlife resources officials are reporting sightings of
animals moving away from the fire, Shoemaker said, and no dead
animals have been found.
Officials say the blaze was started by an all-terrain vehicle
that was on a road in the area and may have backed into dry grass
while turning around. Heat from some part of the vehicle may have
ignited the fire, Shoemaker said.
Nearly 350 personnel worked against the blaze Wednesday, aided
by four helicopters, nine engines and two water tankers.
At 32,980 acres, this fire has surpassed the size of the Apex
Fire, which burned 30,000 acres near St. George earlier this month.
In northern Utah, the Evergreen fire east of Ogden, which burned
486 acres and destroyed six summer homes, was declared contained on
Tuesday. The fire was started by sparks from a backhoe driving over
a rock.
The 1,935-acre Farmington Canyon Fire just north of Salt Lake
City was 80 percent contained. Four smaller fires burning in Utah
on Wednesday were listed as contained.
---
On the Net:
Utah wildfires: http://www.utahfireinfo.gov/
National Interagency Wildland Fires:
http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

July 17th

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A fire in the Henry Mountains of
southeastern Utah grew to more than 33,000 acres Thursday.
The Bulldog fire - which began July 8 and is named for various
geographic landmarks in the area - remains at 30 percent contained
in the mountain range 17 miles north of Ticaboo.
Protecting cabins and homes in the area remains a focus for
firefighters, said Lisa Reid, Bureau of Land Management fire
information officer. "But we're not as critical as we were," she
said.
The most significant development was road closures in the area,
Reid said.
"Right now in essence the Henry Mountains are closed to public
access," she said.
With the fire at only 30 percent contained and the potential for
flare-ups, the closures were a matter of public safety and in the
best interest of crews focusing on fighting the fire, she said.
Officials say the blaze, which has burned 33,080 acres, was
started by an all-terrain vehicle that backed into dry grass while
turning around, possibly igniting the fire.
Elsewhere, the 1,935-acre Farmington Canyon fire just north of
Salt Lake City was 95 percent contained.
"It's going to be smoking probably for the next couple of weeks
and we know that there going to have hot spots I'd say for at least
a month, especially if this warm weather sticks around," said
Kathy Jo Pollock, spokeswoman for the Wasatch-Cache National
Forest.
The Woodenshoe fire in the Dark Canyon Wilderness Area, 25 miles
west of Blanding has burned 2,710 acres. The fire has been listed
at 95 percent contained for the last several days.
---
On the Net:
Utah wildfires: http://www.utahfireinfo.gov/
National Interagency Wildland Fires:
http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

AMERICAN FORK CANYON, Utah (AP) - A federal study investigating
a prescribed burn of 600 acres that ultimately raged out of control
after wind scattered embers could be completed Friday.
An 11-member U.S. Forest Service team, featuring experts in
firefighting and meteorology, will write a report based on their
findings of the Cascade Springs II wildfire last month.
This week, they will examine Cascade Springs, interview
residents and pore over data from the fire that burned nearly 8,000
acres and filled three valleys with smoky air for nearly a week.
Public meetings were scheduled Tuesday in Provo and Wednesday in
Heber City.
Team leader Ronnie Raum said members have been given specific
questions to address, such as whether policies and procedures need
to be adjusted.
"We want to be successful in achieving an open, honest and
factual review of what happened on this fire," Raum said.
"We want to identify lessons learned from this experience and
make whatever changes are necessary to help us do a better job on
future prescribed burns," Raum said.
Spokesman Ed Waldapfel said the team's report will address such
questions as:
- Did workers charged with planning and starting the controlled
burn meet qualification standards as established in the forest
service manual?
- Were national and regional policies followed when starting the
fire?
- Did the burn plan and the actual implementation of the
prescribed fire adequately address air-quality issues?
- Was the prescribed burn plan properly prepared and
implemented?
- What were the weather conditions on the day of the fire? Did
the controlled-burn plan take weather conditions, including the
five-year drought, into account?
- What were the contingency plans?
Waldapfel said the team will try to have a report ready for
inspection by their supervisors by Friday.
The team was appointed the regional forester and draws from
personnel in Missouri, Idaho, Utah, Oregon and California.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

10/29

SPRINGVILLE, Utah (AP) - High winds that blew into the state in
advance of a cold front hampered firefighters' efforts to control
the Cherry Creek blaze Wednesday.
The fire has burned 2,740 acres near Springville and was about
15 percent contained, said Erin Darboven, fire information officer
for the Bureau of Land Management.
"We had a tough day fighting the fire today. But we knew that
from the get-go," Darboven said.
Air operations for the fire had to be grounded due to the high
winds. A fire crew was removed for safety reasons because of the
winds unpredictability, Darboven said.
There are homes less than two miles away from the fire but no
structures were threatened.
Investigators say a spark from a passing vehicle caught the dry
roadside brush on fire last Saturday. They have ruled the fire
accidental.
Elsewhere in the state, the U.S. Forest Service is pulling crews
off the fire burning in Shepard Canyon near Farmington.
That fire started last Thursday night in thick, dense brush. It
has burned 391 acres and is fully contained, though officials are
not yet calling it controlled.
Officials said one engine is available in case of any flare-ups.
Utah Power and Light officials said a downed powerline was
responsible for ignited that blaze.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

APTV 10-29-03 2000EST