Firefighters getting a stop on Avon Fire

Smoke from the Avon Fire seen from Powder Mountain Ski Resort, Thursday August 30, 2018.

Firefighters are feeling confident in their early efforts as they fight the newest wildfire in the area, burning near the Cache and Weber county line. The Avon Fire started Thursday afternoon near the Weber Wildlife Federation Gun Range, located on the Avon Pass road.

Cache County Fire Marshal Jason Winn said the fire was reported around 3 p.m. and spread to around 1,200 acres. It was at zero percent containment Thursday night, but crews feel like they have stopped the fire from spreading northward.

“Aircraft came in and worked from four-o’clock to about dark,” explained Winn. “They dropped a retardant line on the north edge of the fire and then the Cache County crews were able to get onto the north edge of the fire and mop up some hot spots.”

Crews were also helped by a bulldozer that started clearing a line around the fire.

Winn said firefighters closed the Avon Liberty Divide Road so they could keep people out of the area and allow crews to get to fire lines.

“There was a lot of traffic, everybody wanted to come up and look, and the farmers wanted to come up and check on their cows. The cows were able to get down off the east side and come across the road to the west side, so they were safe.”

The fire is burning in thick grass and sagebrush. It hasn’t burned any structures but was threatening the Powder Mountain area, prompting the early evacuation of nearby residents. Access to Pineview Reservoir is also restricted so aerial crews can pull water from the reservoir.

Winn said crews have been able to stop the fire from moving in that direction, thanks to the combined efforts of multiple agencies.

“We had Weber County crews. There were crews from the Forest Service on it and there were crews from the State on it as well.”

There are more crews expected to fight the fire over the Labor Day weekend. They expect containment will grow quickly.


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