September 2010 Archives

This fire has been raging since noon on Sunday (19th) and is less than five miles south of our house. Last night, because the smoke was so thick, we prepped the 5th wheel trailer, put the hitch back in the bed of my truck and prepared to evacuate -- not so much because of the fire, but because the smoke was so thick.

Sourced via the Salt Lake Tribune
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"It's chaos," said Salt Lake County sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson as he helped move residents out of their homes.At least 1,400 homes had been evacuated as of midnight and some had caught fire, said emergency responders who descended on Herriman from across the valley and pushed through crowds of onlookers.

Meanwhile, as many as 250 evacuees waited for updates at a Red Cross center at Herriman High School.

Melissa Kula said she and her husband packed their car while they watched flames rise over the ridge behind their home on Muirwood Circle. When they pulled away at 8 p.m., flames were almost to their backyard.

"I'm devastated, to say the least," Kula said, tears welling in her eyes. Her family had lived in the home since June. As of Sunday night, she assumed it had burned.

Authorities could not confirm which or how many houses had burned Sunday night. "Upwards of 100," homes were in jeopardy, said Unified Fire Authority Chief Michael Jensen.

The blaze started during a National Guard training session when a spark from a soldier's round ignited dry brush, said Utah National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Hank McIntire.

"They knew immediately and they got on it right away," but did not have enough manpower and equipment to contain the fire, McIntire said.

From Camp Williams, the fire moved into Arnold's Hollow of Rose Canyon and jumped over a dirt road that had previously acted as a barrier on Camp Williams' northern border at Black Ridge, said Unified Fire Authority Capt. Brad Taylor. Bulldozers were digging up fire breaks to the fire's east to keep it from spreading into the valley, but Taylor said they would not be effective until the winds die down.

The lightning-sparked wildfire burning in central Utah's Twitchell Canyon grew to 21,000 acres Thursday afternoon, but crews expected to begin getting the upper hand as additional resources were brought to bear.

The blaze, which began as thunderstorms moved through the region July 20, continued to scorch swatches of conifer and shrub lands about 7 miles east of Manderville Reservoir. However, more than 200 firefighters were on the lines late Thursday, and another 40 were expected to join the effort by nightfall, said Forest Service spokeswoman Jesse Bender.

Bender said a fleet of five water- and fire-retardant-bearing helicopters were making drops on the flames, which in many places were difficult to reach on the ground because of the steep and rugged terrain of Fishlake National Forest.

Meanwhile, the Utah Highway Patrol kept Interstate 70 open, which had been closed off-and-on earlier in the week, though traffic was periodically limited to one lane.

Bender said firefighters did not have an estimated time for containment, because portions of the blaze continued to be allowed to burn as a "resource management tool" -- in other words, to clear out old growth and forest-floor level fuels in order to prevent future, large-scale conflagrations.

However, fire managers hoped to have the fire hemmed in before expected weekend winds make their task even more difficult. On Thursday, crews focused much of their attention on securing the eastern flank of the blaze, located roughly along Mill Creek canyon.

In addition to what was expected to be a firefighting army numbering nearly 250 by Friday morning, the Twitchell Canyon fire effort also has air tanker planes, bulldozers and nearly a dozen fire engines in action, Bender said.

Castle Rock Campground remains under a voluntary evacuation, and some roads and trails remain closed:

Eureka to 5Mile at 55mph! from James King on Vimeo.

Mill Canyon from James King on Vimeo.

Large tree in the trail that we had to cut back.

My initial attempt to plug the 2" gash worked for about 10 minutes before the plugs all fell out.

This is what a tire looks like after being ridden flat for 12+ miles in hostile terrain:

Boundary Trail - the switchbacks from James King on Vimeo.

Boundary Trail, through the trees from James King on Vimeo.

BR-5 Casto Canyon Adventure from RedGrizz on Vimeo.