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Fire burning on 70 acres northwest of Vernal, structures threatened

Posted at 4:36 PM, May 26, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-26 19:54:07-04

VERNAL, Utah — A wildfire is burning on an estimated 70 acres about 18 miles northwest of Vernal Saturday, and several structures are threatened.

Heather O’Hanlon, External Affairs Officer for the Bureau of Land Management’s Green River District, said the Pine Ridge Fire began shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday about 18 miles northwest of Vernal.

The cause of the fire is under investigation and the blaze is burning on about 70 acres of pinion, juniper and sage grass.

Two heavy tankers and one standard tanker have responded along with air resources. About a dozen fire engines have also responded.

Several structures are threatened, and fire crews are working to protect those structures. It was not immediately clear how many structures were threatened or if they are residences, businesses our outbuildings.

While Uintah Basin Communications stated there were campgrounds in the area being evacuated, O’Hanlon said as of just before 6 p.m. there have not been any evacuations of camprgounds.

O’Hanlon said the fire is currently a Type 3 Incident and they are “fairly optimistic they’re gonna get a handle on it.”

No injuries have been reported. Fox 13 News will update this story as more details emerge.