VERNAL, Utah, May 30, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — The majority of the Pine Ridge Fire, about 18 miles northwest of Vernal, is expected to be contained by Thursday, officials said.
Utah Fire Info tweeted Tuesday night: “With the exception of Sawtooth Ridge, the remainder of the fire is expected to be contained by end of shift on Thursday. Firefighters will monitor Sawtooth Ridge daily to make sure the fire doesn’t get active and move around.”
Utah Fire Info had tweeted on Monday the fire, which has burned approximately burned 519 acres, was about 50 percent contained.
Resources have now been scaled back to two engines, two crews and one helicopter, the Tuesday tweet said.
“Firefighters will continue with mop-up and hardening the perimeter fire line,” the tweet goes on. “Firefighters worked all day (Tuesday) securing the perimeter fire line. Wednesday, they plan to continue their progress on the line. Firefighters will continue to monitor Sawtooth Ridge to make sure fire isn’t active.”
The fire started shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday in the Deep Creek/Dry Fork area.
Officials said late Saturday that 150 to 200 acres had burned, and the fire containment was at zero.
According to Utah Fire Info, no homes or campgrounds were evacuated, although people in the area were told to be prepared to leave quickly.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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.
