Rockport fire nearly halfway contained; other fires burn in Utah


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SUMMIT COUNTY — The Rockport Fire is 45 percent contained after burning about 120 acres.

The request for evacuations came from the Summit County Sheriff's Office at 3:14 p.m. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for residents who live on Sage Lane at 3:50 p.m. But as of 5:45 p.m., the evacuations became voluntary but encouraged for as many as 225 residences.

Summit County Sheriff's Capt. Justin Martinez said the evacuation notice remains optional for anyone over 18 years of age but is strongly encouraged. Officials knocked on as many as 225 doors Friday, warning residents of the danger.

"Anybody who chooses to stay, they have that right to stay bunkered into place, but we're really strongly encouraging people to evacuate because, at this point, if the fire shifts, we can't go back up there and rescue them," Martinez said. "The fire can shift at a moment's notice with the wind and the weather."

About 80 percent of the area had voluntarily evacuated, Martinez estimated.

Officials believe that all road closures and evacuations will be lifted by midnight on Friday.

People who are displaced by the fire can seek shelter at the Wanship LDS Church, located at 30899 Old Lincoln Highway.

SR-32 has been closed between Rockport Dam in Wanship and Brown's Canyon Road in response to the fire, according to the Summit County.

Residents react to Rockport fire
by McKenzie Romero
ROCKPORT, Summit County — Judy Cella said her heart dropped when she heard that, once again, flames were dangerously close to her Rockport cabin. Cella and her husband, Ron, drove from their Centerville home to an LDS meetinghouse in Wanship, which was made available as an evacuation center Friday. The church remained mostly empty Friday evening.

The Cellas weren't allowed to go to their cabin, which sits about two blocks away from the burned yurt.

"Once again we're up here, evacuated and nervous," Judy Cella said, watching aircraft circling through thick plumes of smoke in the distance. "I don't know if we can keep doing this every year. … Last year it scared us to death."

The Cellas have considered selling their cabin since last year's fire but say their love for the peaceful summer getaway has kept them from listing it. A second blaze just one year later might change their minds.

"It's getting old," Ron Cella said, standing near his wife.

The couple has spoken to a representative from the neighborhood who assured them that, for now, their cabin is untouched.

Judy Cella recalls returning to her cabin after the fire was contained last summer. The fire line came within 6 inches of her shed, and evidence of firefighters' hard-fought battle was all around her home.

"We were able to see firefighters' footmarks all around the cabin," Judy Cella said. "They literally saved our home. … It came really close."

The Cellas have been careful to comply with association requirements to clear within 30 feet of their home, which they believe spared it last year. For now, they hope the wind will keep blowing to the south, away from their neighborhood.

Two planes and a helicopter were dropping retardant on the flames, as bulldozers worked to dig a fire line, Rowser said.

Officials responded aggressively Friday in light of last year's fire, he said.

"The sheriff's office started evacuations really rapidly, and we immediately started dumping as much resources as we could on it as soon as the fire came out," Rowser said.

County officials had signed am emergency declaration by 5 p.m. Friday, asking the state for money and resources to fight the fire.

No structures were immediately threatened as the wind continued to blow to the south Friday, and no injuries had been reported, Rowser said.

Summit County issued a proclamation of local emergency, stating that the wildland fire exceeds the resources of the community. The county requested assistance from the state of Utah.

Furburbia, the Friends of Animals Utah organization, is asking for help to foster animals on its Facebook page. The organization's Rescue and Rehab Ranch is being evacuated due to the fire.

Ten foster homes are needed for dogs, according to the post. Those interested in fostering an animal can call 435-649-5441.

The brush fire is the result of a yurt fire and has burned about 120 acres so far, according to a spokesman from the North Summit Fire District. The fire is in the same area as another fire that claimed 14 homes in 2013.

Interagency spokesman Tyler Rowser said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.

Levan Fire

The fire started Thursday at about 4 p.m. along Hwy 28. As of 8:40 p.m., the fire has burned at least 3,000 acres and is 5 percent contained. The fire forced home evacuations, but the evacuation orders have now been lifted.

Winds of 25-30 mph and high temperatures and a rocky terrain are increasing the difficulty of fighting the fire.

No structures in immediate danger, but ranchers are worried about their cattle on the mountain.

Hog Canyon Fire

The lightning-caused fire started around 5 p.m. Friday and has rapidly grown to 20 acres. It is the second fire near Dinosaur National Monument and is burning above Split Mountain. The fire is visible from Vernal.

Fire engines, helicopters and single-engine air tankers were ordered to the fire.

Black Fire

The fire started Thursday and has consumed 670 acres in an area five miles northeast of Tooele.

Four crews, two engines, a water tender and a helicopter were all on scene Friday. It is 20 percent contained.

Contributing: Alex Cabrero, Morgan Jacobsen, Sam Penrod, Geoff Leisik

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