East Fork & Center Creek Fire Update
September 16, 2020
East Fork Fire: Firefighters continue working hard to contain the 51,784 acre East Fork Fire. Successful burn out operations along the fire’s southern perimeter and crews being able to directly engage the northeastern edge with aerial resources have led to increased containment and slowing of fire spread. Fire size along with difficult terrain and significant tree mortality poses challenges to firefighting efforts. Expect the fire to have hot spots and pockets of activity until significant precipitation events occur. Firefighters will continue establishing containment lines to minimize risk to persons and property.
Center Creek Trail Fire: The Center Creek Trail Fire is showing limited fire behavior and currently poses no threat of moving south toward the wilderness boundary.
Closures: Closures are in effect for the Ashley National Forest and Uintah and Ouray Tribal Lands. Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office has closed county roads in and near the fire area.
All closures are posted at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures /7052/.
Closure Map: https://go.usa.gov/xG8PW
Today’s Operations: Crews will continue directly engaging the northeast flank of the fire with assistance from aerial resources. Additional crews will begin mopping up successful firing operations conducted over the last few days in order to secure the southern perimeter. The fire is expected to continue burning actively in heavy fuels northwest of the Moon Lake campground in Brown Duck Creek and in Mackentre and Raspberry Draws.
Weather: Today’s temperatures are expected to be near 76 degrees. Relative humidities are low and fire behavior is expected to be active. Winds will be from the northwest early in the day at 7-9 mph with gusts up to 18 mph, with southeasterly winds later in the day. A Pacific storm moving onshore will bring higher surface winds out of the south/southwest. Active fire behavior is expected in higher elevations due to increased winds. Weather tonight will be in the high 40s.
Safety: The public is asked to respect road and area closures. Please drive with caution as firefighters are working in the area and smoke reduces visibility. Drones are hazardous to fire aviation assets and are not permitted in the fire area. Remember: If you fly, we can’t. Firefighter and public safety are the highest priority for Great Basin Team 7.
Resources: 4 Helicopters, 24 Engines, 5 water tenders, 1 Hotshot crew, 1 Type 2 Initial Attack handcrew, 2 dozers and 3 Wildland Fire Modules. Currently 283 firefighters are assigned to the East Fork Fire. The Center Creek Trail Fire has 25 firefighters assigned.
