SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — The snow and rain brought by an overnight storm moving through much of Utah has had a big effect on the Yellow Lake Fire, which has been burning for nearly three weeks.
While the fire's size remains at just over 33,000 acres Friday and is just 30 percent contained, the weather has stalled the wildfire's growth, enabling officials to reduce some of the closure areas in the Ashley National Forest and Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
NORTHERN UTAH
What's fueling the Yellow Lake Fire?
In addition, many of the resources used to fight the fire will be released "due to weather and minimal fire behavior," according to the U.S. Forest Service. Before the storms arrived, crews fighting the Yellow Lake Fire were removed from the fireline due to safety concerns
On Sunday, fire operations will transfer from the California Interagency Incident Management Team to one made up of local personnel.
As of Friday morning, one inch of rain had fallen at lower elevations, while six inches of snow were measured at higher elevations such as Bald Mountain Pass on Mirror Lake Highway.
The cold front also cleared out much of the smoke in the areas near the fire and the Forest Service says good conditions are forecast through the weekend and into next week.
Although the closure areas in two locations have been reduced, those orders still in effect will remain so until Nov. 25 in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, and through Dec. 31 in the Ashley National Forest.
