Pack Creek Fire Daily Update June 24
Pack Creek Fire Update
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Contact Fire Information: (435) 287-4126
Visit www.utahfireinfo.gov or our storymap at https://arcg.is/SH4Hm0
Start Date: June 9, 2021
Cause: Abandoned campfire
Size in Acres: 8,952
Percent Contained: 73%
Est. Cost to Date: $8.7 mil.
Helicopters: 5
Engines: 14
Crews: 5
Total Personnel: 319
Today is the last operational shift for Great Basin Incident Management Team 4. The Pack Creek Fire will transition back to the Manti-La Sal National Forest on Friday morning. Team 4 would like to thank the community for the tremendous support and generosity shown to the firefighters and overhead personnel working on the incident.
The Pack Creek Fire is now 73 percent contained, with fire activity moderated by the increase in moisture and cloud cover. The increase in moisture is forecasted to remain in the Moab valley for the next several days with the possibility of wetting rain over the fire area. The smoke that is visible from Moab is due to fire activity northwest of Mount Tukuhnikivatz, and is inside the fire perimeter. Fire behavior is currently minimal but residents and visitors may continue to see smoke in the coming days. The fire continues to creep and smolder in Geyser Pass in thick Spruce-Fir forest and on Haystack Mountain where the terrain is too steep for crews to safely access. Firefighters will continue to extinguish hot spots and patrol the fire until containment is achieved.
The fire information line will be staffed between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm and available for the public to call until the fire is contained or placed in monitor status. A storymap, Fuels Treatments Ease Fire Behavior in Pack Creek (arcgis.com), tells the story of how interagency fuels treatments conducted over several years in the Pack Creek area helped to reduce fire behavior and provided firefighters a safer place to work during the Pack Creek Fire.
The La Sal Loop Road is now open; however The Manti-La Sal National Forest Closure remains in place and the area remains closed for recreation on public lands. The forest closure can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mantilasal/alerts-notices.
It’s recommended to avoid driving on the La Sal Loop Road unless necessary to access private property due to the continued presence of fire traffic. The roads to Oowah Lake, Warner Lake, and Geyser Pass remain closed. Road closures for La Sal Pass Road and Dark Canyon Lake Road remain ongoing due to fire activity on the northeast side of the fire. Evacuations remain in place for the Geyser Pass area, and from Blue Lake to the east towards the Dark Canyon area.
Trail closures associated with the Pack Creek Fire include: the Whole Enchilada, Burro Pass, Dry Fork of Mill Creek, Moonlight Meadows, Clark Lake, Warner to Miners, Mountain View, Schumanns Gulch, Trans La Sal, South Mountain, Pack Creek, and Hells Canyon.
Investigators are still seeking leads to help identify those responsible for the fire’s ignition. Anyone who has information related to the identification of the responsible party of the Pack Creek Fire can call the tip line at 775-355-5337.
