Wildfire updates: Merging wildfires threaten small Utah town

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SALT LAKE CITY — Two major wildfires burning along the Utah-Nevada border in Box Elder County have burned together to form a single 100,000-acre blaze, fire officials say.

Nevada's China Jim Fire and the Goose Creek Fire combined Sunday evening, forming a fire that measures roughly 156 square miles and is threatening houses in nearby Grouse Creek, Box Elder County.

Meanwhile, Utah Highway Patrol officials say a brush fire sparked by a semitruck crash on I-84 in Weber Canyon burned over an acre of grass and blocked traffic Sunday afternoon.

At least five other wildfires were also burning throughout the state Sunday afternoon.

Saturday's fire coverage:

Stay tuned for the latest fire updates. This story will be updated throughout the day.

___

Editor's Note: The name of the southern-most fire on the Utah-Nevada border has been corrected to the Goose Creek Fire.

Sunday, 11:26pm

Weber Canyon Fire doused quickly, officials say

The aid of several agencies and a set of railroad tracks combined to help Weber County fire crews quickly extinguish a small brush fire in Weber Canyon Sunday afternoon, officials say. "One of the saving graces was the railroad tracks above us, and there was a buffer zone right there, so we were able to contain the fire to those railroad tracks," said Weber County Fire Warden Richard Cooper. The fire was sparked when a westbound semitruck toppled over along I-84 and skidded along the roadway. The driver wasn't injured, and the fire didn't get much bigger than an acre, fire officials said.

Sunday, 09:43pm

Officials say Middle Canyon Fire (eastern Tooele County) is human-caused

Fire crews have reached 35 percent containment on the Middle Canyon Fire, burning in mountains southeast of Tooele, and state fire officials now believe the fire was human-caused. State fire officials made the announcement in a tweet Sunday night, but provided no other details other than to stay the fire is "still under investigation."

The #middlecanyonfire is 35% contained and found to be human caused. It is still under investigation. If you have any information, please call the Tooele County Sheriffs Department at 435-882-5600.
— Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) July 30, 2018

Earlier in the day, the Utah Fire Info Twitter account shared a picture showing how aerial drops of fire retardant helped stop the blaze from burning over the mountain toward structures.

Aerial fire retardant drops from air tankers helped keep the #middlecanyonfire from running over the ridge and down toward town and the municipal watershed. Note the red retardant stain along the ridges. pic.twitter.com/y0cQkRla6v
— Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) July 29, 2018

No new size estimate was available Sunday night; earlier in the day, officials said the fire had burned 171 acres. No structures or vehicles have been damaged.

Sunday, 09:12pm

Grouse Creek residents urged to evacuate as fires merge, approach

Residents of Grouse Creek are being urged to evacuate after two wildfires merged and headed toward the town. Grouse Creek is located in a rural area near the Nevada and Idaho borders. About 6:30 p.m. Sunday, a woman who owns property in Grouse Creek posted to the Friends of Grouse Creek Facebook page that the town was being evacuated. "The winds picked up again this afternoon flaring up the fire again. There are a lot of trucks, manpower and aircraft in the air again. I was just notified by the BLM that they are officially evacuating the town of Grouse Creek as a precaution, due to the winds and the fire heading this way. They are starting at the north end of town to notify everyone," according to Cathy Kimber's post. BLM spokeswoman Dorothy Harvey said about 7:30 p.m. that residents were being strongly urged to evacuate. Earlier in the day, Alan Smith, an administrator of the Friends of Grouse Creek Facebook page, posted "All structures are good except the 2 abandoned cabins by the reservoir. The fire stretches from Beatty Springs to the highway. Over 25 miles long. The north end of the fire has turned west again but they have a lot of equipment and planes on it." The China Jim Fire that is threatening the town started Saturday about 13 miles southwest of Grouse Creek near the Utah-Nevada border. It has burned about 20,000 acres. The fire forced the closure of state Route 30 on Saturday night. Also burning in that area is the Goose Creek Fire, believed to have been started by lightning on Thursday near Jackpot, Nevada. It has burned approximately 100,000 acres as of Sunday afternoon, according to the Bureau of Land Management. On the BLM's fire information page, officials used phrases such as "extreme fire behavior" and described the fires as moving extremely fast. "The (China Jim Fire) will continue to rapidly move to the east and southeast threatening 2 ranches located along the Grouse Creek Valley Road. The fire is also going to hit State Hwy 30 east of Montello and road closures are being implemented at this time," the BLM wrote just after 8 p.m. The BLM also forecast Sunday night that the Goose Creek Fire would continue to "spread to the south toward White Rock Peak and east toward Etna, (Utah)," threatening that community overnight. Etna is just southwest of Grouse Creek. — Pat Reavy, KSL

Sunday, 07:46pm

Utah-Nevada border fires combine to form 100K-acre blaze

Two major wildfires burning along the Utah-Nevada border near Box Elder County have burned together to form a single 100,000-acre blaze, fire officials say. The Goose Creek Fire, which started Thursday, and the China Jim Fire, which sparked Saturday, combined Sunday evening to form a fire measuring roughly 156 square miles. The large fire is now threatening the town of Grouse Creek, in Box Elder County, federal interagency fire spokeswoman Dorothy Harvey said. While a mandatory evacuation has not been implemented, residents of Grouse Creek are being "strongly urged" to evacuate, Harvey said. The fire is 15 percent contained, according to Iniciweb, the federal fire information site.

Sunday, 05:57pm

Tipped semitruck sparks fire in Weber Canyon

A semitruck crash on I-84 ignited a brush fire in Weber Canyon Sunday afternoon. Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Brady Zaugg said the truck was traveling west on the interstate when it tipped near mile marker 88, less than a mile east of the U.S. 89 interchange. The fire has burned over an acre of grass, according to a tweet from the Weber Fire District. But Zaugg said nobody was injured and no structures are threatened.

Sunday, 05:54pm

2 wildfires burning along Utah-Nevada border (near Box Elder County)

KSL has learned there are actually two wildfires burning near the Utah-Nevada border in Box Elder County. The China Jim Fire started Saturday about 13 miles southwest of Grouse Creek, according to Inciweb, the federal fire information site. The fire had burned 20,000 acres and was zero percent contained Sunday morning, according to the Bureau of Land Management-Nevada. Its cause is unknown. The Goose Creek Fire, which officials believe was started by lightning on Thursday, is burning just south of the China Jim Fire. BLM-Nevada said it had burned 25,000 acres and was 10 percent contained Sunday morning.

Sunday, 10:57am

State Route 30 reopens after China Jim Fire activity closed both directions

The China Jim Fire forced officials to close both directions of state Route 30 about nine miles east of the Utah-Nevada border in Box Elder County on Sunday. The road had reopened by 10 a.m., Box Elder Communications Center officials said.

Sunday, 09:13am

Middle Canyon Fire (eastern Tooele County) is 5 percent contained

The Middle Canyon Fire was burning 171 acres, or just over a quarter-square mile, and was 5 percent contained as of Sunday morning, according to fire officials. Middle Canyon Road and Butterfield Canyon Road remained closed Sunday morning. About 96 people were assigned to fight the fire, as well as three helicopters, officials said. Fire activity was minimal overnight, officials said.

#middlecanyonfire update: https://t.co/XPJJWFrBBC
— Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) July 29, 2018

Sunday, 08:28am

State Route 30 closed near Utah-Nevada border (in Box Elder County) due to China Jim Fire

State Route 30 is closed in both directions near the Utah-Nevada border in Box Elder County. The China Jim Fire started about 11:25 a.m. Saturday about 13 miles southwest of Grouse Creek, according to Inciweb, the federal fire information site. The fire was threatening two ranches along Grouse Creek Valley Road, officials said. Utah Department of Transportation officials were estimating state Route 30 would not be reopened until later Sunday evening. A fire crew from Uintah City was deployed to the fire, officials said.

Brush 91 at @ufd91 was just deployed to Box Elder County to assist on the #ChinaJimFire. Batallion Chief Chris Willden & Wildland FF Nick Anderson are currently on their way. #Stay safe. We will keep you updated as we receive information.
— Uintah City Fire Department (@ufd91) July 29, 2018

Wildfire updates: Merging wildfires threaten small Utah town

By Jordan Ormond, KSL.com and Jacob Klopfenstein for KSL.com | Posted - July 29, 2018 at 11:26 p.m.

Show 1 more video

Saturday's fire coverage:

Wildfire updates: I-70 reopens in Millard County after fire forces closure

Weber Canyon Fire doused quickly, officials say

Officials say Middle Canyon Fire (eastern Tooele County) is human-caused

Grouse Creek residents urged to evacuate as fires merge, approach

Utah-Nevada border fires combine to form 100K-acre blaze

Tipped semitruck sparks fire in Weber Canyon

2 wildfires burning along Utah-Nevada border (near Box Elder County)

State Route 30 reopens after China Jim Fire activity closed both directions

Middle Canyon Fire (eastern Tooele County) is 5 percent contained

State Route 30 closed near Utah-Nevada border (in Box Elder County) due to China Jim Fire

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Wildfire updates: Merging wildfires threaten small Utah town

By Jordan Ormond, KSL.com and Jacob Klopfenstein for KSL.com | Posted - July 29, 2018 at 11:26 p.m.

+ Show 1 more video

Saturday's fire coverage:

Wildfire updates: I-70 reopens in Millard County after fire forces closure

Weber Canyon Fire doused quickly, officials say

Officials say Middle Canyon Fire (eastern Tooele County) is human-caused

Grouse Creek residents urged to evacuate as fires merge, approach

Utah-Nevada border fires combine to form 100K-acre blaze

Tipped semitruck sparks fire in Weber Canyon

2 wildfires burning along Utah-Nevada border (near Box Elder County)

State Route 30 reopens after China Jim Fire activity closed both directions

Middle Canyon Fire (eastern Tooele County) is 5 percent contained

State Route 30 closed near Utah-Nevada border (in Box Elder County) due to China Jim Fire

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Show 1 more video