- Salt Creek Fire Still Burning
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SALT CREEK FIRE ON THURSDAY • Smoke billows from the Salt Creek Fire on Thursday afternoon about 1.5 hours after it started. The fire which started near the Camperworld facility was completely out-of-control at that time.
By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
The Salt Creek Fire, which began on Thursday, is 15 percent contained but has burned more than 18,502 acres, or about 28 square miles, and it remains anybody’s guess as to when it will be controlled.
Part of the problem, said Terry McDonald, fire information officer, is that fire fighting resources are stretched thin because of the many fires burning in the West. There are eight wildfires burning in Utah alone.
“Two Hundred new fires starts in the West yesterday,” said McDonald. “Thirteen of those were big fires.”
The Salt Creek fire, which began near a Camperworld campground located on SR 132, the main road connecting Sanpete and Juab Counties, quickly spread through the dry and highly combustible foliage.
One bit of news for camping enthusiasts is that neither Ponderosa Campground nor Bear Canyon Campground on Mount Nebo, a part of Uinta National Forest, were destroyed by the flames.
“The fire did not go beyond the fork in the road which leads to the campgrounds,” said Alden Orme, Juab County Sheriff.
The wildfire followed the Nebo Loop Road at the fork, he said.
“The campgrounds are filled with ash,” said Brian Ferebee, Uinta National Forest. “It will be fall, if there is sufficient rain, before they start to green up again. It may take until spring.”
The wildfire did burn some of the Camperworld campground facilities. The small office building was one of those destroyed.
A fully developed resort, the facility was developed by Jim Ockey on property owned by his family for generations and located about five miles up the canyon east of Nephi. However, the fire spared several trailers and campers left behind when it was evacuated. A recording on Camperworld’s phone said the campground is not expected to open until January.
Early rumors blamed sparks from a car for starting the blaze but McDonald said the fire was still being investigated and an official cause had not yet been determined.
Ricardo Zuniga, FEMA Region VIII Information officer, said that one bit of good news was received Saturday evening.
“FEMA Director David Paulison approved Utah’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant at 6 P.m. Saturday evening, less than two hours after receiving a request from the state,” said Zuniga.
A Type 1 management team from the South assumed command at 8 p.m. on Saturday and three 20-person hand crews hotshot crews are now on-hand to help battle the blaze.
 Gov. Jon Huntsman toured the fire on Saturday and said he would provide National Guard troops to help if fire officials requested them.
“The ravages of mother nature are clearly on display,” Huntsman said at a news conference. “I don’t know that there’s been a time in recent history that our resources have been stretched this thin.”
State Route 132 remains closed and people evacuated from their homes still must stay away.
“We only have three crews,” said Mark Ruggiero, fire incident commander. “It is tough competition.”
He said incident commanders have a daily conference call and, though 16 20-person crews have been ordered, they have not been sent.
“That is why we have to prioritize,” he said.
On Monday, crews will concentrate on the wing of the fire nearing Fountain Green.
“We will hit the area with air tankers and bulldozers,” said Ruggiero.
On Sunday, the fire was held down toward Nephi but flames pushed it toward Fountain Green just 14 miles from Nephi on SR 132.
Residents of the community were told to be on stand-by for a possible evacuation but were not evacuated.
Besides Fountain Green, Indianola Valley remained threatened. The country subdivisions of Holiday Oaks, Elk Ridge and Oaker Hills have been evacuated.
Firefighters have struggled with the Salt Creek fire. Extremely dry fuels, high temperatures, low humidity and wind gusts up to 50 mph have fought them every step of the way.
Monday a Type 1 hotshot crew and engines will be working to construct handline and dozer line on the south side of the fire.
On the southeast perimeter of the fire, a Type 1 hotshot crew and a squad of Type 2 firefighters will be working with engines, dozers and graders and will be supported by aircraft.
“They will be constructing handline and dozer line, conducting burnout operations and provide structural protection to help secure the line and keep the fire confined approximately 1.5 to 2 miles north of Fountain Green,” said McDonald.
Two bulldozers spent the day on Sunday cutting a swath to keep the fire from burning farther east, said Von Bowles, a Nephi volunteer.
He credited the helicopters that dumped load after load of water on hot spots near cabins Friday. “Those helicopters are worth their weight in gold.”
Two heavy and two light helicopters aided 14 local engine crews and about 100 firefighters.
The fire looks something like an octopus with legs reaching in several directions. The weather helped on one leg, the Nephi or west end, by sending approximately 1/10-inch of rain. However, winds caused other areas of the fire to display extreme fire behavior with flame lengths up to 30-feet.
“Fire behavior is extremely variable in the fire area,” said McDonald. “Creeping and smoldering was observed on the west side of the fire.”
He said that there would be one helicopter, 13 engines, four bulldozers, seven water tenders and three hand crews for a total of 247 persons fighting the fire on Monday.
Ranchers Bob Garrett and Seth McPherson said they were unsure of the fate of their 700 head of cattle that graze the area.
“We’ve just got our fingers crossed,” said Garrett. “We wouldn’t be ranchers if we weren’t hopeful.”
Garrett said the fire does leave a problem for ranchers. What will happen in the future? “We’re crying the same song as the other ranchers. The rest of the state is burned. Where can we go now?”
McDonald said that of the 18,502 acres burned by Monday, in Juab County: 684 were BLM; Manti-Lasal was 1,240; Uinta National Forest was 7,523; state land was 3,509; private land was 936 and in Sanpete County: 1,644 was BLM; 88 were Manti-Lasal; Private was 2,878.
“Gusty and erratic winds up to 50 mph or greater are anticipated near thunderstorms or rain showers,” said Ruggiero. “That can make the fire behavior extremely variable in the fire area.”
He said Salt Creek Fire would still require quite a bit of work before it could be considered controlled. How long that would take was only a guesstimate--at least a week but likely more. Some of that would depend on the weather and some on the resources made available.
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