HIGHLAND, Utah — Fire crews in Utah are now reporting they have lost containment in the fight against the Yellow Lake Fire. The fire has grown to 3,112 acres and is currently 18% contained. Earlier officials had estimated containment of 22% but say that the fire's growth has lessened the effectiveness of their efforts.
A red flag warning is also in effect in the area as unseasonably high warm and dry conditions continue.
The fire, according to officials, has been slowly backing down Highway 35 and crews have been highly successful in reducing the unburned fuel between the road and the fire perimeter. That will decrease the potential for spotting. That's when burning pieces from the wildfire are taken by the wind into new zones currently not impacted.
The northwest side of firing operations, where crews cut down vegetation and burn the ground to slow the fire's progression, has now been completed from the dozer lines to the fire's edge.
Highway 35 will remain closed for 24-48 hours until the fire activity decreases and the road can be cleared from debris.
Containment has also been mostly accomplished on the southern perimeter of the fire. Where safe to do so, crews are working further into burned areas to extinguish any hot spots. In areas where conditions are too dangerous to put crews in, like the southwest corner of the operations, fire managers are discussing future firing operations aligned with favorable weather. That they hope will minimize the risk to firefighters.
The YMCA camp and ranger station according to crews remain safe with structure protection complete and sprinklers and hoses in place for added defense. Crews say previous logging and vegetation thinning done in the area made the structures more defensible.
The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache and Ashley National Forests have officially been closed since Thursday. Crews are working to confine the fire within the current built indirect line and the forest closure is intended for potential fire activity if it crosses the current line. "With the heavy timber, high winds, and dry conditions, there is potential for the fire to spot large distances like has already occurred on this fire. Forest managers want to make sure they take a conservative approach with the predicted weather, red flag warning, and unseasonably dangerous conditions to assure public and firefighter safety," crews explained in a release.
The fire has been determined to be human-caused, but it remains under investigation. There are still no reportable accidents or injuries and no structures or recreational vehicles have been lost.
423 people are assigned to fighting the Yellow Lake Fire.
