Firefighters say fire season may only get worse in coming weeks
Jun 22, 2018, 10:50 PM | Updated: 11:33 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – As crews battled the Monviso Fire in Summit County Friday, they warned that Utah’s fire season may only get worse.
Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands spokesperson Jason Curry said the season had already been “alarmingly busy” through mid-June.
Six significant fires were burning around the state as of Friday evening, from the 65-acre Monviso Fire to the nearly 17,000-acre Trail Mountain Fire in Emery County, where firefighters managed to keep the flames away from the Crandall Canyon Mine and Miner’s Memorial.
The Monviso Fire was only 5-percent contained as of Friday night, and had forced the evacuation of several cabins.
Curry said the number of unattended campfires firefighters have encountered recently has been concerning, and he said he feared more fires are possible as more people head to the outdoors in the coming weeks.
Conditions, Curry said, have been “deceptively dry” and even areas that appear to be green have underlying dead grasses and brush.
Curry said fires have already started in the 7,000 to 9,000-foot elevation range — raising added concerns about the fire season’s potential.
Firefighters encouraged people to obey fire restrictions, to make sure campfires are out, and not to park on areas of grass or brush.
