At the fire information meeting on June 13, it was reported the fire is still active in Deer Creek Canyon, Mill Fork and Rilda canyons. The residents of Trail Canyon were evacuated. An engine with a crew was going to remain at Trail Canyon during the night and then monitor the area.
Rhino Mine reported to the Emery County Progress they are starting the fan and will get the pumps going. Rhino mine will resume operations on Monday. Lori Ann Larsen reported there is a skeleton crew at the mine right now making preparations to re-open. She said it was a false rumor that the mine would idle until August. They want their crews and everyone else to know the mine will remain operational and will be back to work Monday.
There is one residence in Bear Canyon and they have chosen to remain in their home for the present time.
Crews had plans to keep the fire from flowing into Crandall Canyon and were building a fire break in the area.
There was fire coming down both sides of Rilda Canyon near the former Deer Creek mine portal in Rilda.
SR-31 is closed between Bear Canyon and the road to Miller’s Flat at the present time due to the proximity of the fire to the road.
Update: The LEPC meeting was held this morning where forest service officials reported to the committee on the fire. The power plant officials thanked the fire crews for their efforts around the power plant. The helicopters have been using the raw water pond to dip for dropping on the fire. Capt. Kyle Ekker thanked the power plant officials for their cooperation. Capt. Ekker said the replacement for the power plant was listed at $1 billion and safeguarding the plant was a high priority.
Ray Petersen, public lands director said things don’t always go as planned and he was happy to see the agencies working together to resolve the problems.
Capt. Ekker thanked the school district for the use of the Emery High School as the command center for the fire crews.
Capt Ekker said there were a lot of citizens and firefighters on SR-31 last night and for the safety of everyone the highway was shut down really fast which was a problem to some commuters. It will remain closed today because the fire will be burning actively due to weather conditions. It is their hope to reopen SR-31 on Friday morning at 8 a.m. Capt. Ekker appreciates those evacuated and how fast everyone left the area. The road is closed from Bear Canyon to the Miller’s Flat road. Cottonwood Canyon is closed as is the Nuck Woodward road.
The fire has not jumped SR-31 at this point. The East Mountain side of the fire is not moving. There are scouts watching the fire and keeping an eye on its approach to Crandall Canyon. Things look bad right now because of the weather, fire managers are hopeful some moisture will move in on the weekend. There are 600 firefighters in the county. The fire size is up to 9,554 acres.
The situation with the spring water is good, the fire hasn’t contaminated the spring water and is still moving at capacity. Jay Mark Humphrey said with the drought conditions he encourages everyone to conserve water.
The forest service reported the mountain tops and aspens are still green. The fire is moving through dead timber. One worry is embers from burning trees that shoot off and travel and have the potential to spread the fire.
GALLERY: Trail Mountain Fire activity from June 13
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