Range Fire Kept At 1,500 Acres Overnight; 0% Containment

OREM, Utah – Provo Canyon remained closed as firefighters worked to control the Range Fire in Utah County.

Officials said the fire held steady with moderate fire activity through the night. The size of the wildfire remained at 1,500 acres, with 0 percent containment.

U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Suzie Tenhagen said the fire crept down the hill towards Nunns Park and Canyon Glen Park. Structure protection was in place at both locations.

Officials with the Orem Police Department said those residents who evacuated were permitted back into their homes Sunday morning. No new evacuations were expected.

The fire did not cross US Highway 189 in Provo Canyon. Officials with the Utah Department of Transportation advised drivers to take Interstate 80 or US Highway 40 as alternate routes.

Drivers were also asked to avoid the use of State Route 92, otherwise known as the Alpine Loop. The road was open to local traffic only.

U.S. 189 in Provo Canyon remains closed today for fire control work. Use I-80 and U.S. 40 as an alternate route. Avoid using S.R. 92/Alpine Loop as it is a narrow, winding road. It is open for local traffic only. @UDOTTRAFFIC @UtahDOT @UWCNF

— UDOT Region Three (@UDOTRegionthree) October 18, 2020

No structures have been reported as damaged, and Tenhagen said there were no injuries, other than some “end of (wildfire) season fatigue among firefighters.

The Range Fire broke out Saturday afternoon near the gun range north of the canyon, close to 1000 East and Cascade Drive in Orem. Crews from the Orem Fire Department and Pleasant Grove Fire Department responded to what was then reported as a 15-acre fire.

By mid-afternoon, the fire had grown to 250 acres, and reached 1,500 acres by 7 p.m.

UPDATE- @UTHighwayPatrol tells me #ProvoCanyon is completely closed up to Midway for #RangeFire ops. To get to Heber, only alternative is to go through Parley’s Canyon. @KSL5TV

— Garna Mejia KSL (@GarnaMejiaKSL) October 18, 2020

Several people reported seeing smoke in Utah and Salt Lake counties.

Chief Shaun Hirst with the Orem City Fire Department said several homes near the mouth of Provo Canyon were evacuated, as well as several homes within the canyon. He said the homes within Provo Canyon, the Homestead neighborhood, and the area near the Cascade Golf Course in Orem were under direct threat.

Evacuations were also ordered for Squaw Peak Road, south of Provo Canyon.

There was no estimate of when crews would be able to contain the flames or reopen the canyon.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

The view right now of the Range Fire in Provo Canyon.

📸: Jason Robison

Details: https://t.co/zStbofUQdp pic.twitter.com/XvcUtUzvhh

— KSL 5 TV (@KSL5TV) October 18, 2020