BRIAN HEAD, Utah, June 30, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — After two weeks of gut-wrenching uncertainty, wildfire evacuation orders have been lifted for residents of Brian Head and Dry Lakes — but the fire is still dangerous, and far from out.
A considerable threat still looms on the north side of the 60,000 acre blaze and fire managers say it will be at least two weeks before the Brian Head fire — the largest in the nation — is actually fully contained.
Friday firefighters continued to reposition equipment and supplies to the fire’s northern flank where there is still a strong possibility the blaze will grow.
“Nearly 50 miles of hose have been used thus far — each section of hose is 100 feet long, totaling over 2,600 individual sections of hose,” according to a statement on utahfireinfo.gov. “About 60 small-engine water pumps have been used to pump water from area creeks and lakes.”
On Friday, crews began concentrating on the northern flank, where they got bit of a break thanks to cooler temperatures and considerably lighter winds.
The Brian Head Fire started around midday Saturday, June 17, and grew quickly through dense timber on lands administered by Brian Head Town, Iron County, in cooperation with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands. It has since burned on to lands managed by Dixie National Forest and Color Country District Bureau of Land Management.
Maps of the closure areas can be found at the following link: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5253/.
