Weekend rain aids firefighters’ efforts; 13,710 acres scorched

Trail Mountain Fire 40% contained
Wildland firefighters caught a break over the weekend as rain helped subdue a nearly two-week-old fire rampaging through parts of the Manti-La Sal National Forest.
Incident commanders with the Great Basin Type 2 Incident Management Team 4 said even where the forest didn’t get rain, humidity and cloud cover kept the fire at bay through Saturday and Sunday.
Conditions were expected to be drier Monday, according to an update released Sunday night.
The 13,710-acre fire has already cost the forest service $4 million in suppression costs, said Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Jesse Bender.
Nearly 600 firefighters, eight aircraft and 23 engines were still working Monday.
Brad Sawyer, operations section chief, for the Great Basin team, told the Sun Advocate Sunday that favorable weather was allowing firefighters to better herd the fire away from vulnerable areas such as near the Huntington Plant and Rhino coal mine.
By Monday, crews had strengthened perimeters on most of the fire’s southern boundary as well as in spots along the western and eastern perimeters.
Utilities officials were scheduled to go and inspect impacted electrical powerlines and water resources near the fire zone on Monday.
Highway 31 in Huntington Canyon was open, though it was opened and closed twice on Sunday.
Fire officials ask drivers along the route to be vigilant. If conditions deteriorate, smoke could fill the canyon, reducing visibility and endangering  travelers.
A number of sites within the national forest remain closed.
Horse Canyon Trailhead, Indian Creek Campground, Little Bear Campground, Lower Little Bear Campground, and Riverside Campsite are all closed.
About 150 firefighters have set up camp in Indian Creek Campground in order to be closer to the fire.
A few hundred other firefighters are housed in tents set up in ball fields alongside the parking lot at Castle Dale High School in Emery County.
Firefighters generally work two weeks on, and then get two days off, Bender said.
A number of crews pack their tents each morning and take them to the day’s outpost just in case they get called away to another incident. This way they can leave at a moment’s notice.
The Trail Mountain Fire began as a 300-acre prescribed burn. It quickly got out of control and local BLM and forest service managers were forced to call in additional resources.
The fire has been burning since June 6 according to the latest fire update.