Evacuations lifted after snow spells good news for Yellow Lake Fire
Oct 19, 2024, 9:59 AM | Updated: 6:40 pm
HANNA, Duchesne County — Rain and snow fell on the Yellow Lake Fire on Friday, and evacuations have been lifted, but the fight against the fire isn’t over yet.
The U.S. Forest Service said they recorded 1.23 inches of precipitation in the area of the Yellow Lake Fire that has been burning in Wasatch and Duchesne Counties since Sept. 28. The forest service said evacuations in those counties had been lifted on Saturday. Forest closures still remain in effect.
Map shows the extent of the Yellow Lake Fire. Red area shows fire boundaries, while black edge on the south end shows contained area. (U.S. Forest Service)
“Personnel numbers on the Yellow Lake Fire continue to decline as operations ramp down,” the Forest Service said in a press release. “Six days ago, 889 personnel were on the fire – today there are 433.”
Although operations have been ramping down, the fire is not out. Officials reported the Yellow Lake Fire is still at roughly 33,000 acres and at 30% containment.
Despite the rain and snow, aircraft using infrared technology detected significant heat around the north side of the fire area, the Forest Service said. Crews expect the weather to warm up over the weekend, which could lead to more smoke, but they don’t anticipate the fire will grow.
On Saturday afternoon, fire officials held a public meeting in Kamas to provide an update on the situation.
“There are some heat spots,” said Deanna Younger, Yellow Lake Fire spokesperson, to KSL TV. “It’s creeping around the heavy fuels, they will continue to smoke, maybe for a few weeks, but we don’t think the fire is going to move.”
Younger also told KSL TV that this week’s storm brought 1.25 inches of moisture to areas impacted by the fire.
“There’s snow on parts of it,” she said.
