Monsoon rain helping firefighters tame the flames of Jacob City Fire
Jul 14, 2022, 6:13 PM | Updated: May 21, 2023, 4:38 pm
STOCKTON, Utah — Mother Nature finally brought some relief to firefighters across the state as they battle three major wildfires, including the Jacob City Fire in Tooele County.
A few days ago, the skyline was filled with smoke. On Thursday, thanks to the rain, we had a clear view of where the fire has burned and where firefighters are making progress on containment lines.
Monsoon moisture helping the Jacob City Fire in Tooele County. Coming up at 5 & 6 on @KSL5TV I’m live in Stockton with an update on containment, I’ll also explain why crews say the rain helped in some areas but not others. #utah #ksltv pic.twitter.com/TviLBuJH5c
— Shara Park ✨ (@KSLSharaPark) July 14, 2022
The Jacob City Fire, which sparked on July 9 and is human-caused, has burned 4,185 acres as of Thursday evening.
Thanks to the quarter-inch of rain that fell in the lower elevation Wednesday night, and the 471 firefighting personnel, the fire is 35% contained. That containment stretches along the north and west rim of the fire. And in a few days, crews should also have containment near Edwards Pass.
#JacobCityFire July 14, 2022. Monsoonal moisture reached the fire area yesterday and last night.
— Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) July 14, 2022
The area giving firefighters the most trouble right now is on the east side of the fire near Soldier Canyon.
“This fire is going to be a little more difficult to contain, simply because, if you look closely, the terrain is so incredibly steep,” Public Information Officer Megan Crandall said. “There are a lot of what we call snags — which are dead trees — which are incredibly dangerous to firefighters, so it’s going to take some time to get in there and really work through it.”
Crews said those higher elevation areas also have a canopy of timber and so the recent rain didn’t push through onto the fire. It’s those areas crews continued to focus on on Thursday.
Looking ahead to this weekend, if you have plans to recreate in Tooele County near this fire, think again. A prevention order is now in place — it’s a long list of closures and includes some popular camping areas.
Public lands are closed in vicinity of #JacobCityFire to provide for public safety and support emergency fire suppression operations. #blmwddhl pic.twitter.com/hVSRAyoFAb
— Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) July 13, 2022
