Evacuation orders in Wasatch and Duchesne counties due to the Yellow Lake Fire were lifted on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 9 a.m., but forest closures remain in effect, according to Utah Fire Info.
More than an inch of precipitation were recorded in the area of the Yellow Lake Fire, which has been burning in the Ashley National Forest and Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest since Sept. 28, the U.S. Forest Service said in a press release on Saturday.
As of Saturday, Oct. 19, the fire’s size remained at just over 33,000 acres and is only 30% contained. Aircraft using infrared technology detected hot spots on the north side of the fire area, according to the Forest Service.
More smoke is possible, but the fire isn’t expected to grow, fire officials said in a public meeting held in Kamas on Saturday afternoon.
“Even with all the snow and the rain that happened up there, there’s still significant amounts of heat,” Ken Verboncoeur, Forest Service deputy district ranger in the Heber-Kamas office, said.
Verboncoeur added firefighting efforts will be turned over from a California-based team back to a local team.
“We’ll continue to work on full suppression, which means that we’re just trying to put out the fire wherever we can,” Verboncoeur said.
Crews will shift their focus to clean up and restoration, Agency Administrator and Forest Supervisor Dave Whittekiend said.
“We want to make sure the public is safe, so we’ve got some closures in there. We don’t want people going into that burned area until we can make sure most of the heat is gone and that it’s safe to go in there,” Whittekiend said.
Officials hope to have the area reopened by next spring and expect to see a lot of regrowth by then, he added.
As the meeting came to a close, Jeremy Hales, Wasatch County director of communications and emergency management, emphasized the importance of residents signing up for emergency notifications.
“We know we impacted you in some way with our evacuations. Those are hard decisions that these teams make, when they have to evacuate folks, and I can’t encourage you enough to make sure that you’re signed up for your emergency notifications," Hales said.
Multiple officials also thanked the communities surrounding the fire area for their support.
“The communities have been exceedingly supportive, and we thank you for that. … Thank you for your support, for your engagement, and for taking the time to come here and find out what’s going on,” Whittekiend said.
Though closure areas have been reduced, the orders still in effect will remain in effect until Nov. 25 in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, and until Dec. 31 in the Ashley National Forest.
