William Fire Update: Sept. 17, 2020

September 17, 2020 at 8:00 a.m.

Location: 2 miles south of Santaquin, UT                                              

Start Date: September 6, 2020                                                             

Phone: 1-435-414-9418

Email: [email protected]

Cause: Human caused, target shooting                                                  

Acres: 4,346

Containment: 45%                                                                              

Personnel Assigned: 201

Current Status: Today there is a burnout operation planned on the southwest side of the William Fire. The burn block is planned from approximately Wash Canyon on the north to North Creek on the south end. This will remove unburned vegetation between the fire and infrastructure such as transmission lines and Interstate 15. There will be fire personnel, engines and helicopters working in the area. Smoke will be visible throughout the day. The burn is part of the Confine Strategy to fully suppress the fire where it is too steep for ground resources.

Firefighters will continue to repair dozer lines on the northwest side of the fire where the fireline has been completely mopped up and is secure.

There are closures on Pole Canyon Road and the Mona Pole Road (Forest Service road #600/#160) and details can be found on the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest website https://www.fs.usda.gov/uwcnf. We ask that the public stay away from the area for the safety of the firefighters and the public.

Hunters with limited entry Bull Elk tags, please check your unit, be sure to stay out of the closure area. We aim to keep the public and firefighters safe, your aim will help.

Weather: Today temperatures are predicted to be near 90. Humidity will be in the teens and possibly as low as 7 to 8% and winds gusting to 12 mph. Strong southwest winds are expected late in the week ahead of a dry cold front.

Low to moderate fire behavior is expected today in the form of smoldering and surface creeping. Isolated torching is expected in the heavy brush and conifers.

There is a fuel and fire behavior advisory in effect for critically dry fuels through September 25, 2020.

A TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) has been implemented over the fire area – which means recreational drones and private aircraft cannot fly over the fire. Details can be found here: https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_0_1623.html. Remember, “IF YOU FLY, WE CAN’T.”

Fire information can be found on Utah Wildfire Information at https://utahfireinfo.gov/. Check out News & Events and ‘Like Us’ on facebook.com/UtahWildfire , and ‘Follow Us’ on twitter.com/UtahWildfire for further information.