VERNAL, Utah, May 27, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — The Pine Ridge Fire, about 18 miles northwest of Vernal, has burned 519 acres and is about 10 percent contained, Utah Fire Info reported at about 7 p.m. Sunday.
The wildfire has burned 454 BLM acres, 51 private acres and 14 U.S. Forest Service acres, officials tweeted.
“Suppression is going as expected and good progress is being made on the perimeter of the fire,” the tweet said. “The additional resources are making good progress.”
Officials said late Saturday that 150 to 200 acres had burned, but they expected to have a more accurate number of affected acres on Sunday after GPS measurements were taken.
Containment was at zero late Saturday.
The fire started shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday in the Deep Creek/Dry Fork area.
According to Utah Fire Info, no homes or campgrounds were evacuated, although people in the area were told to be prepared to leave quickly.
Lapoint/Tridell, Jensen and Vernal fire departments have structure protection in place. Officials said although the threat to structures in the area has diminished, there is still a threat.
The roads are closed and people are asked to avoid the area.
Air tankers have been dropping retardant on the flames, and several engines and ground crews are on scene.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Officials said there have been several human-caused fires this month, and they are urging everyone to “Put those campfires out dead cold and report any suspicious activity.”
Gephardt Daily will update this story as more information becomes available.
