BIRDSEYE, Utah County — A flash flood shut down both directions of U.S. 89 in the area of Birdseye and Thistle Friday about 5 p.m., and at one point more than two feet of rocks and mud covered parts of the road, according to officials.

According to a 9 p.m. update from UDOT on Twitter, the highway will remain closed for “an undetermined amount of time.” Three slides swept the road; crews cleared one slide and will continue working overnight to clear debris and assess pavement to ensure it’s safe to reopen, UDOT officials said.

"Our crews are making great progress on the cleanup, but the assessment of the pavement and shoulder conditions may force us to keep US 89 closed overnight," UDOT spokesman John Gleason said in a tweet. "Please use alternate routes."

Tyson Jones of Spanish Fork and his two young sons were on their way for a night of camping when they encountered the water.

"It was just a river going across the road,” he said. "There was water up past the running boards of my truck. I was just praying that it didn't get any worse.”

Around 30 cars were trapped along the roadway but no injuries were reported and everybody has since been accounted for, Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Nick Street said. People were able to get to higher ground and avoid the debris and water, he said.

"I've drove this road many times,” Jones said. “I've never seen anything like that in my life."

National Weather Service radar estimated about an inch and a half of rain fell in approximately 45 minutes across Birdseye.

The area falls on the backside of where the Pole Creek burned last year, according to National Weather Service Salt Lake City, which means flooding is more likely because of the burn scar.

A 42 mph wind gust was reported at Salt Lake International airport as winds continued to spread north, the weather service tweeted, about 6:45.

The National Weather Service advised drivers to avoid flooded roads and said, "if a debris flow has occurred it is important to realize that the runout area remains very dangerous."

One driver said on Twitter he and others were stuck in the flood and "barely escaped with our lives." The driver, Cade Stevens, shared a video of his experience on Twitter.

Duchesne County flooding

Duchesne also experienced flooding Friday evening, and debris flows along some roads, according to a Facebook post from Duchesne County Sheriff's Office. Last year's Dollar Ridge Fire left a burn scar, which increased the possibility of flash floods in the area.

Road crews and deputies were working to help around 20 people out of the area near Promised Land Resort at the Pinnacles, where debris flowed across roads, according to officials.

The community saw floods in the area last year that caused a lot damage, according to Misty Spencer, property owner at the resort. She said she and her husband have invested thousands of dollars this year to repair their yard after the last round of flooding and now they believe they could be facing more fixes.

No injuries were reported in the flood and officials asked the public the avoid the area.

Both directions of U.S. 191 were closed 3 miles north of Helper about 8:20 p.m., according to UDOT.

Contributing: Jen Riess, KSL.com; Andrew Adams, KSL TV; Ladd Egan, KSL TV

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