Latest news with #YellowLakeFire
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Aerial firefighting crews ready for southern Utah's peak fire season
CEDAR CITY, Utah (ABC4) — As southern Utah heads into the peak of fire season, federal and state officials share that aerial resources and public safety plans are ready to deploy. Crews from across the west met at the Cedar City Air Tanker Base on Thursday to talk strategy ahead of what could be an above-average fire season. With fires popping up in Nevada and Arizona already, they say these tankers might not be sitting there for long. The base is one of the busiest in the region, supporting firefighting efforts across southern Utah, northern Arizona and eastern Nevada. While the season has been off to a slow start, crews said that could change in a flash. Origins of Yellow Lake Fire revealed 'We haven't had much of a season yet — it usually starts down south and moves its way north, so there's plenty of resources to go around,' said Courtney Christensen with the Bureau of Land Management Color Country District. When fire conditions escalate, so does the need for aircraft. That's why aerial support is critical to getting fires under control before they grow. They aren't assigned at random. As fires ignite across the west, they are moved where they're needed most. 'We may have a fire here in Cedar, but the priority might be shifted to somewhere else because it's brand new and threatening homes, communities, power lines, infrastructure, or major watersheds,' said Lindsey Fonger with Zion National Park Fire Management. Forest thinning may lead to more wildfire danger Fire officials said that this year's outlook looks dry, and crews are expecting conditions to ramp up fast in the coming weeks. But as much as officials are focused on response, they're also asking the public to do their part to prevent fires in the first place. The one growing threat responders face is drones. 'Drones in the wildland fire area sometimes force fire managers to suspend aerial resources, which ultimately could turn into those wildland fires becoming larger and more dangerous because we don't have the aircraft to fight those fires,' said Brandon Davis with BLM Arizona Strip District Fire Management. Officials ultimately warn that even one spark, under the right conditions, can be enough to trigger a wildfire. Wildfire burns 1500 acres in France Canyon in Garfield County, not contained Judge blocks Trump's National Guard deployment in Los Angeles Rubio: US 'not involved' in Israel's strike inside Iran Highland man threatened to kill his wife and himself with rifle over financial dispute, charges say Aerial firefighting crews ready for southern Utah's peak fire season Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
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 According to a Forest Service investigation report obtained by 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. Forest thinning might lead to more wildfire danger, researchers say '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 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 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.' Comic books worth $70k stolen from West Valley City comics store Utah sculptor creates statue of President Trump's 'raised fist' moment in Butler EXCLUSIVE: Logger reveals origins of Yellow Lake Fire 11-year-old in St. George raises money for aunt after being bullied at his lemonade stand Family remembers Elder Aleki Langi, who died while serving LDS mission Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Forest thinning might lead to more wildfire danger, researchers say
SALT LAKE CITY () — Researchers believe active wildfire management practices, like forest thinning, may do more harm than good. 'Many of the things being done in forests will potentially make them more flammable, not less,' said David Lindenmayer, distinguished professor with . Lindenmayer says he, along with a , began studying active management strategies shortly after a number of wildfires tore across Australian forests in 2009. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a new . The plan called for the Forest Service to treat 50 million acres of federal, state, tribal, and private lands through prescribed burns and forest thinning. The Biden administration committed nearly $3 billion to the strategy, including hazardous fuel reduction projects. Earthquake rattles Wasatch, Utah counties overnight According to a statement from a USDA spokesperson, 'Current studies and data shows the benefit of fuel treatments positively influencing fire behavior and reduce fire severity.' 'I think the key thing here is evidence. Do all these things work? For some ecosystems, including western USA, the evidence is very slim if at all,' Lindenmayer told 'There will be situations where actions… like salvage logging, will make it worse, not better.' Lindenmayer says his research shows that when a forest is logged and regenerated, it can have a pulse of flammability as the forest regrows. Rebecca Diehl, the Utah representative for , says one fuel reduction logging project caused the Yellow Lake Fire, which scorched 33,000 acres in the Uinta Mountains in 2024. RELATED: Logging company fined $16K for 'Yellow Lake Fire' 'This is one of countless timber sales across Utah and the West that the Forest Service has approved under the guise of 'forest health' and 'fuel reduction,'' Diehl said. According to the USDA, logging contracts in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest are sold to contractors as a part of fuel reduction efforts. Thinning and prescribed burns are also used to reduce fuel. 'It tends to be drier, warmer, and windier, because there are all these gaps in canopies across the landscape,' Lindenmayer said. 'There's also fuel left over after logging including debris left over that can add to a forest's flammability.' According to Diehl, salvage logging can also destroy the habitats for a number of species. Disaster team deploys to Moab for wildfire mitigation 'There's this perception that when we see dead trees it's bad, but dead trees are such a fundamental part of the ecosystem,' Diehl told 'The forest is doing a better job managing itself than we are.' USDA policy calls for the suppression of all human-caused fires but allows some wildland fires to burn. Naturally ignited fires are sometimes managed to achieve 'ecological benefits' if conditions are safe, according to a spokesperson with USDA. 'Incorporating new data enables us to make intentional management decisions so that we can provide for ecological integrity and decrease fire behavior.' USDA said. 'We need to make sure there's a good evidence base for the kinds of things that are being done.' Lindenmayer told Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Logging company fined $16K for ‘Yellow Lake Fire'
KAMAS, Utah () – The has imposed the maximum penalty of $16,000 on the logging company it holds responsible for starting last autumn's . The penalty comes after a three-month-long investigation conducted by fire investigators with the U.S. Forest Service. The final report was released to through a public records request. Logging equipment sparks wildfire (Courtesy: USFS) At about 11 a.m. on Sept. 28, 2024, the only person on shift at the Duchesne Ridge Fuelwood Sale Site in the Uinta Mountains left for the day. Just over four hours later, dispatch received the first report of smoke in the area. VIDEO: Fire officials provide aerial view of 3,100-acre Yellow Lake Fire The report came in from a officer who was nearby and arrived as the first official on the scene. When the officer arrived, the fire was just one acre in size and spreading to the northwest near harvesting equipment. By 6:45 p.m., the fire had spread to six acres, with flames reaching five feet. Flames spread from wood harvesting operation in the Uinta Mountains (Courtesy: USFS) According to the report, the fire was most likely started by friction from the logging company's equipment. Despite having officials on the scene early, the fire . The report cites high winds as a factor. Logging equipment believed to have sparked Utah's largest fire of 2024 (Courtesy: USFS) While the logging company, whose name was redacted from the final report, was fined for causing the blaze, the U.S. Forest Service listed the cause as 'operational' rather than 'negligent' due to the company being unaware of the initial fire start. ORIGINAL STORY: 'Yellow Lake Fire' jumps to 1.5K acres, closes Highway 35 Multiple witnesses reported a 'suspicious' individual in their mid-to-late 30s, wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and a ballcap, who was at the scene on the day of the fire's discovery. Others at the scene described the individual as 'avoiding eye contact' and being unfriendly. It's unclear if officials attempted to locate the individual. The fire eventually became Utah's largest wildfire in 2024, . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
