Black Canyon Fire remains uncontained, grows to more than 2,000 acres

SPRING CITY—A lightning-caused wildfire burning east of Spring City and Ephraim has expanded to more than 2,000 acres over the past week, prompting mandatory evacuations, widespread forest closures and an aggressive firefighting response in the face of dangerous fire weather.

The Black Canyon Fire was first discovered Friday, July 31 in rugged terrain between and east of Ephraim and Spring City. The site is in the Ferron Ranger District of the Manti-La Sal National Forest. Fire officials said the blaze was sparked by lightning the previous day and was initially estimated at about 160 acres.

Because of the fire’s location in steep, difficult-to-access terrain, firefighters relied on both ground crews and aircraft to try to suppress the blaze.

To protect public safety and give firefighters room to work, the Manti-La Sal National Forest issued an emergency closure order on Sunday, Aug. 1 covering a large portion of the Ferron Ranger District.

The closure encompasses Forest Service lands on the Reeder Canyon trail and northeast of the trail; portions of Skyline Drive as well as lands east of Skyline Drive; Potters Canyon Road, Potters Pond Campground, and several Forest Service roads in the area.

“As of Tuesday, the Black Canyon Fire is demonstrating extreme fire behavior within Black Canyon on the Manti-La Sal National Forest’s Ferron Ranger District,” said Barbara Van Alstine, forest supervisor for the Manti-La Sal National Forest.

“Fire personnel are actively engaged in full suppression operations despite challenging red flag conditions, including high winds and low humidity. Public and firefighter safety remains our highest priority as we work to suppress this lightning-caused fire.”

In spite of firefighter efforts, strong winds over the weekend fueled rapid fire growth. By Monday, Aug. 3, the fire had expanded to approximately 500 acres with no containment. The blaze continued burning along the Sanpete-Emery county line in steep, inaccessible terrain where firefighters faced challenging conditions.

According to Maureen Bonessa, the regional fire captain assigned to the incident, “The fire is moving very intensely. It’s making quick runs through the tops of trees, burning uphill fast, and spreading out to the sides.”

As weather forecasts called for increasing winds capable of pushing the fire over the crest of the mountains and town the eastern slope, the Emery County Sheriff’s Office issued a Level 3 “Go” evacuation order Monday morning for the Reeder Subdivision, a cabin development In Emery County

Residents were instructed to leave the area by 6 p.m., with deputies conducting door-to-door notifications and sending emergency alerts to known property owners.

The evacuation order was later expanded to include the Lowry area, a cabin and summer-home development in a remote part of Emery County .

After setting up roadblocks, authorities warned residents not to enter either community, citing the possibility that smoke, reduced visibility and rapidly changing fire conditions could block evacuation routes.

By Wednesday, Aug. 5, the National Interagency Fire Center reported the fire had grown to approximately 2,111 acres with zero percent containment. That number was adjusted down to 1,735.9 acres on Thursday, Aug. 6 before being readjusted again to 2,111 acres.

Through the day Tuesday, firefighters continued battling the blaze under a Red Flag Warning, signifying low humidity and strong winds.

All previously announced road and forest closures remained in effect Tuesday. Officials continued urging the public to stay out of the closure area for their safety and so as not to interfere with firefighting operations.