Wildfires in Utah forced residents in Eureka, Mammoth and Silver City to leave Friday night after the Maple Peak Fire and Cherry Fire merged into an estimated 20,000-acre blaze in Juab County. The order sent people east on U.S. 6 and put crews on campground and RV evacuations as the fire spread.
Al Nash of the Great Basin Incident Management Team said the Maple Peak Fire joined with the Cherry Fire and that the merged blaze is now being called the Cherry Fire. He said several campsites were affected, while a shelter was being set up at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Elberta.
Maple Mountain To Cherry Creek
The Maple Peak Fire started on Maple Mountain west of the U.S. 6 rest stop, and officials believe it began with a lightning strike Thursday night. The Cherry Fire started near Weiss Highway and Cherry Creek in Juab County, then the two fires came together under wind-driven conditions.
Extreme fire behavior kept resources from holding the road system, according to Nash. The 20,000-acre estimate gives a sense of scale, but it also means the merged fire already spans a large enough area to pressure evacuation routes and nearby access points before crews can slow it.
Beltran On Utah County
Utah County Commissioner Skyler Beltran said a state of emergency had been declared in Utah County because of the fires. He also said there was no threat to Utah County residents, and posted, “Please be vigilant when towing, operating heavy equipment, using campfires and barbecues and discharging fireworks in sensitive areas,” on Friday night.
That left one response for people in Eureka, Mammoth and Silver City: leave when ordered and follow the route east on U.S. 6. For residents whose homes are in the fire’s path, the practical question now is how much of the evacuation area is already tied up in campgrounds, RVs and road access.
Sulphurdale Fire Near I-70
The merged blaze was one of at least 16 new fires that started in Utah in the previous 24 hours. The Sulphurdale Fire, discovered Friday south of Cove Fort and I-70, had burned about 2 acres and was growing as winds increased, with flames near high-voltage power lines, I-70 and a geothermal power plant.
Travelers through that area were asked to stay alert for changing conditions and possible traffic restrictions if the fire approached I-70. On the other side of the state, the Farr West Fire was called in at 12:10 p.m. Friday in Weber County, and Britt Clark said the homeowner and a dog got out quickly before the home became a total loss.
The same day brought a pattern crews could not ignore: wind, multiple starts and evacuations all at once. For people in Eureka, Mammoth and Silver City, the most urgent issue is whether enough ground can be held to bring them back safely.
