EXCLUSIVE: Logger reveals origins of Yellow Lake Fire
FRANCIS, Utah () — A logger has come forward to reveal the first hours of the Yellow Lake Fire, Utah's largest fire in 2024.
The logger, who identified themself only as 'Jackie,' says their team was notified of a fire near a woodcutting site near Yellow Lake in the Uinta Mountains on the afternoon of Sept. 28, 2024.
'At the time, the fire wasn't that big… and there were seven or eight engines there from the forest service, the state, Wasatch County, and Kamas City,' Jackie told ABC4.com.
According to a Forest Service investigation report obtained by ABC4.com, crews were dispatched to signs of smoke in the area of Duchesne Ridge around 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 28. DWR officers were the first to arrive on scene. Upon their arrival, the fire was reported to be just one acre in size. The next day, the to 150 acres.
'One of [us] went over and asked why they weren't fighting the fire… [we] were told that they were waiting for instructions on how to proceed,' Jackie said.
According to Jackie, crew leadership on scene ordered an immediate fire drop when arriving on scene; however, the drop didn't come until days later.
The report shows crews requested an aircraft to scout out the fire just an hour after arriving at the scene. However, scouting aircrafts didn't arrive until Sept. 29, while the first water drop wasn't carried out until Sept. 30.
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'If I was in their shoes, I'm not going to go against my boss. If they are telling us to wait, then you wait,' Jackie said.
In a statement to ABC4.com, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said current wildfire management strategy requires all human-caused fires to be suppressed.
'There are instances when wildland fires are allowed to burn under specific conditions,' the statement reads. These instances are limited to certain 'naturally ignited fires' that may be managed to achieve ecological benefits.
The investigation report contains communications between fire officials which indicate crews were instructed to suppress, despite the blaze being located in a designated burn area.
Investigators determined the 33,000 acre-fire was caused by logging equipment. The report details a potential $16,000 fine for the logging company. Investigators found evidence of fluid leaks from multiple pieces of equipment.
Logging company fined $16K for 'Yellow Lake Fire'
Jackie says equipment can sometimes cause sparks when metal tracks strike rocks underneath. However, the only person on site the morning before the fire broke out operated only a truck with rubber tires.
'No one on the crew smokes either,' Jackie said.
According to Jackie, many loggers were working in the Yellow Lake area. However, is the company who holds the contract.
South & Jones Timber Co. gave ABC4.com the following statement.
'South & Jones has been and is currently in communication with the Forest Service about the origins and response(s) to the fire. South & Jones has received an inquiry from the Forest Service requesting information on the expenses South & Jones incurred in fighting the fire shortly after the fire was discovered near a job site that South & Jones had not worked in several days. However, South & Jones would dispute any insinuation that its operations were the cause of the fire or any attempt by the Forest Service to levy a fine based on that false conclusion.'
Jackie says one worker with South & Jones went up to the site the morning and reported seeing a mysterious man with a backpack and shorts passing through the site. 'Loggers do have to be careful of sabotage, just because it has happened in the past.'
The investigation report also placed a 'suspicious' individual who passed through the site on the day the fire was discovered. The individual is reported to have 'avoided eye contact and wasn't friendly.'
According to Jackie, the flames could have been put out. 'It didn't need to become that way. They were there. They were on site. They could have had it under control in under an hour.'
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