Evacuations Lifted For Emigration Canyon Residents After Fire Burns 10 Acres
Jul 22, 2019, 9:00 PM | Updated: Jul 23, 2019, 9:21 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Several residents along Pinecrest Canyon Road in Emigration Canyon were forced to evacuate as a precaution while crews worked to contain a fire in the area.
The evacuations impacted less than a dozen homes. The area evacuated was a half-mile stretch of Pinecrest Canyon Road from Emigration Canyon Road to Killyons Lane. The evacuations were lifted Tuesday morning and Pinecrest Canyon Road was reopened to residents.
Public access to the area was still restricted as firefighters continued to contain the blaze, which had burned approximately 10 acres.
A Unified Fire Authority public information officer said officials expected to have the fire contained by Tuesday afternoon.
Crews were called out to an area near the top of Emigration Canyon after the fire broke out on the ridge above several houses.
A tanker drops fire retardant on a 3-5 acre wildfire near Killyon Canyon near the top of Pinecrest & Emigration Canyons. Voluntary evacuations underway, though not yet mandated. pic.twitter.com/e6ERq8sSlH
— KSL 5 TV (@KSL5TV) July 23, 2019
The fire began around 6 p.m. Monday in an area west of Pinecrest Road in Killyon Canyon – an offshoot of Pinecrest Canyon.
Ryan Love with the United Fire Authority said the fire was about three to five acres big, and said the blaze was exhibiting “moderate fire behavior.”
The fire was near the top of the ridge in an area hard to access.
“It took our ground crews about 45 minutes to get to it,” Love said. “We needed assistance from above to help us locate it.”
About 40 firefighters were working on the scene overnight, with some digging lines to contain the flames and actively fight the fire. Additional crews were in place to protect structures “in case things take a bad turn.”
A UFA spokesperson said the likelihood of the fire making a substantial run toward homes was low, but they were taking every precaution.
“The winds could change overnight and we don’t have good visibility during the night time,” Love said. “Fire behavior can be unpredictable sometimes, even the small problem it could mean potentially a larger problem with the right conditions.”
Aerial video from Chopper 5 showed a helicopter team pulling water from Little Dell Reservoir and dropping it on the flames.
Crews Fight Fire Above Emigration Canyon
Firefighters have responded to a wildfire in Pinecrest Canyon, near the top of Emigration Canyon
Posted by KSL 5 TV on Monday, July 22, 2019
An air tanker was also brought in to drop fire retardant on the flames.
Voluntary evacuations were issued for other homes in the area as a precaution. Although video showed the flames were not threatening any homes, officials said the hot, dry conditions could have quickly fueled the fire.
Two small planes were used to analyze the fire from above and determine a course of action for firefighters.
Officials said they did not yet know what ignited the wildfire.
No injuries were reported.
