Cabin owners evacuated as Dollar Ridge Fire spreads
Jul 2, 2018, 7:10 PM | Updated: 9:15 pm
FRUITLAND, Utah – The Dollar Ridge Fire grew quickly in thick timber southeast of Strawberry Reservoir forcing new evacuations Monday. Dozens of cabin owners had to clear out in front of the massive, windblown blaze burning several miles southeast of Strawberry Reservoir and the town of Fruitland.
Afternoon winds whipped up flames on the ridgeline that were visible from U.S. 40. The massive plume of smoke was visible as far away as Park City. The Duchesne and Wasatch County Sheriff’s Offices have evacuated all of the properties in between U.S. 40 and the fire.
“The wind just picked up a half hour ago and the entire mountain range here is on fire.”
Around 200 to 300 homes have been evacuated, with an unknown number of structures being lost to the flames.
“It was a big fire. It wasn’t a small fire. It was huge,” said Doug Adams, who has been watching the fire since it started around 1 p.m. Sunday.
RELATED: Evacuations ordered as Dollar Ridge Fire continues to grow
Adams has a cabin nearby. He said he’s been amazed at how the fire has spread across 4 canyons in just 24 hours.
“It just exploded again to where you could see the massive fire that’s going on right now,” he said from his vantage point on the ridge. “It has skipped four canyons so far.“
He knew if the wind shifted, the fire could destroy his home.
URGENT: Duchesne County Commission issues new EVACUATION ORDER due to #DollarRidgeFire pic.twitter.com/xge9H5FIVe
— DuchesneCoSheriff (@DuchesneSheriff) July 2, 2018
“It wasn’t doing much this morning. The wind was calm,” he said. “The wind just picked up a half hour ago and the entire mountain range here is on fire.“
ALERT: Pinion Ridge residents should begin evacuating at this time, per Duchesne County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Travis Tucker. #DollarRidgeFire @UtahWildfire
— DuchesneCoSheriff (@DuchesneSheriff) July 2, 2018
The wind continued to fan the flames through heavy timber – trees crowning with massive flames. The fire was measured at 6600 acres Sunday night. Firefighters said it grew much larger Monday.
Just after 6 p.m., officials said the fire had exploded to 30,000 acres.
Firefighters: #DollarRidgeFire now at 30,000 acres; 200 to 300 homes evacuated; homes/cabins have been lost but no estimate on total @KSL5TV #KSLLive #Utah pic.twitter.com/uFj3cac7jy
— Andrew Adams (@AndrewAdamsKSL) July 3, 2018
More resources, including a Type-2 management team, were on the way to battle the blaze. Firefighters said they were making very little progress on the fire. By Monday night, it was still 0 percent contained.
“It has moved so quickly,” said Jason Curry with Utah Forestry Fire and State Lands. “There’s so much smoke blowing across the black area. We really don’t know what the size it is right now.“
Evacuations are very fluid. People who live in this area should follow Twitter or Facebook through the Sheriff’s Office for the most updated information.
Officials said this was another human caused fire, although the specific cause was still under investigation. Firefighters were urging everybody to be hyper alert for anything that might cause a fire, and avoid that activity.
