Wildfire forces SR-6 closure; spreads to 20,352 acres

Coal Hollow blaze only 4 percent contained
STAFF REPORTS
 Afternoon thunderstorms caused a spike in fire activity on the Coal Hollow Fire 15 miles south of Spanish Fork along Utah Hwy 6 on Sunday.
The fire crossed the highway, prompting the second closure of the thoroughfare in less than a week.
The fire is becoming established in lighter fuels in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest and has the potential to move quickly.
Diamond Fork Canyon is under pre-evacuation order, although it is not in immediate danger. It is unclear at this time how long the highway road closure will be in place, but fire officials stressed that travel along the highway during this time could endanger public safety.
The Rocky Mountain Area Type 1 team took over fire suppression operations on Sunday.
The thunderstorms that rolled in over the weekend sat directly over the fire causing winds from all directions. As conditions changed, crews disengaged and moved to safety zones until it was safe to continue working along the fire line.
Structure protection was implemented. The fire remains active in the Clear Creek drainage. It will continue to spread down canyon.
Dozers will be working along Starvation Road and firefighers will continue constructing containment line. Scooper planes and helicopters dropped water until winds picked up and scoopers had to land for safety reasons. More helitack crews were ordered and in place on Monday. Hotshot crews also assessed the situation on Monday.