More evacuations in Yellow Lake Fire, closure zone grows
Oct 10, 2024, 2:09 PM | Updated: Oct 11, 2024, 6:37 pm
UPDATE: Search and rescue crews are assisting in the evacuation of recreationists near north of the Mirror Lake Highway between the Yellow Pine and the Highline Trial.
HANNA, Duchesne County — A new advisory was issued in the area near the Yellow Lake Fire after a weather pattern posed a risk of the fire moving Thursday, threatening a new group of recreators.
Duchesne County Fire organized a town hall meeting at Tabiona High School Thursday at 6:00 p.m. to address concerns from the community.
As of Thursday, Oct. 10, the North and West forks of the Duchesne River and the Granddaddy Lakes area were under a mandatory evacuation order. Residents in Hanna were asked to pack bags and be ready for evacuation orders, but those were not in place yet. Area closures in the national forest grew extensively Friday, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The current road and area closures caused by the Yellow Lake Fire, as of Oct. 11, 2024. (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
According to Sgt. Felicia Sotelo with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, the fire was likely to trigger a closure and evacuation of the north side of Highway 150, also known as Mirror Lake Highway.
On Friday, the campgrounds along the highway within the closure of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache were officially asked to evacuate under a new closure. According to a Facebook post from the Summit County Search and Rescue, rescue units were “inbound to evacuate recreationists on the north side of Mirror Lake Highway between Yellow Pine & the Highline Trail.”
Yellow Lake Fire Closure Update https://t.co/XiUqQXEcr5 pic.twitter.com/l62kfepejH
— Sheriff Smith (@SummitCountySO) October 11, 2024
“Hunters and recreationists planning to camp or visit the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest on the north side of Mirror Lake Highway between Slate Creek (Yellow Pine Trailhead) and the Highlight Trail should use extreme caution,” she said.
The fire has crossed the threshold and become the largest in the state for the 2024 fire season, burning a significant 21,000 acres. The fire was determined to be human-caused.
Check this out… 🔥
Utah’s fire total (so far) = 1,204
That’s a lot of colorful dots!Yellow Lake Fire is the largest of the year at close to 21,000 acres
78,000 acres ytd
Still well below 10 yr avg (138,000) but a dry October isn’t something to mess with!@UtahWildfire pic.twitter.com/F3J1gHbi3r
— Dan Spindle KSL (@DanSpindleKSL) October 10, 2024
The Utah Department of Natural Resources said Thursday the fire was 21% contained.
This is a breaking news story. It may be updated.
