• BEST IN STATE—Senior Courtney Schoen Lewis was named Best PR Student in Utah. Story

Hyrum: Brush fire closes Blacksmith Fork Canyon

September 27th, 2015 Posted in Opinion

By Erin West

HYRUM — A brush fire, likely caused by a fallen power line, started around 5:20 p.m. in Blacksmith Fork Canyon Friday evening.

Deputies block the road to Blacksmith Fork Canyon as firejumpers prep their helicopter. (Erin West photo)

Deputies block the road to Blacksmith Fork Canyon as firejumpers prep their helicopter. (Erin West photo)

“It’s dry grass so it’s going to go up there pretty crazy,” said Matt Burgess, a Division of Wildlife Resource officer.

The fire began on the north side of milepost 19 of State Road 101 and quickly spread to the east.

“It was likely a telephone pole that sparked,” said Deputy Merkley, who responded to the fire. “It was down on the ground when I got here. That’s why we’ve shut everything down to keep people from coming in contact with it.”

A campground near the source of the fire was evacuated and the road has been closed off until it is extinguished.

Ron Vincent was traveling up the canyon and was stopped from his four-wheeling trip near Hardware Ranch.

“That’s pretty treacherous terrain,” he said, “and it’s a steep hill so those firefighters have got to be working hard.”

The size of the fire was estimated around 15 to 20 acres and Merkley believes the fire will burn through the night.

“[Travelers] always get mad for us not letting them up,” he said, “but it’s better than having someone go up and get hurt.”

Firefighters prepare their gear to fly into Blacksmith Fork Canyon to fight Friday’s fire. (Erin West photo)

Firefighters prepare their gear to fly into Blacksmith Fork Canyon to fight Friday’s fire. (Erin West photo)

Tags: , ,

Sorry, comments for this entry are closed at this time.