Tank Hollow Fire

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Tank Hollow Fire
2017 08 31-10.57.38.612-CDT.jpg
Northeast portion of Tank Hollow Fire burning August 29
Location Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Utah, United States
Coordinates 39°59′38″N111°18′58″W / 39.994°N 111.316°W / 39.994; -111.316 Coordinates: 39°59′38″N111°18′58″W / 39.994°N 111.316°W / 39.994; -111.316
Statistics [1]
Date(s)August 11, 2017 (2017-08-11) – December 5, 2017 (2017-12-05)
Burned area11,067 acres (45 km2)
CauseLightning
Map
USA Utah location map.svg
FireIcon.svg
Location of fire in Utah.

The Tank Hollow Fire was a fire that burned in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Utah in the United States. The fire was started by a lightning strike on August 11, 2017. Since then, it burned a total of 11,067 acres (45 km2). The fire threatened homes along US Route 40. It was contained on December 5, 2017.

Wasatch-Cache National Forest

Wasatch-Cache National Forest is a United States National Forest located primarily in northern Utah (81.23%), with smaller parts extending into southeastern Idaho (16.42%) and southwestern Wyoming (2.35%). The name is derived from the Ute word Wasatch for a low place in high mountains, and the French word Cache meaning to hide. The term cache originally referred to fur trappers, the first Europeans to visit the land. The Wasatch-Cache National Forest boundaries include 1,607,177 acres (6,504.01 km2) of land.

Utah A state of the United States of America

Utah is a state in the western United States. It became the 45th state admitted to the U.S. on January 4, 1896. Utah is the 13th-largest by area, 31st-most-populous, and 10th-least-densely populated of the 50 United States. Utah has a population of more than 3 million according to the Census estimate for July 1, 2016. Urban development is mostly concentrated in two areas: the Wasatch Front in the north-central part of the state, which contains approximately 2.5 million people; and Washington County in Southern Utah, with over 160,000 residents. Utah is bordered by Colorado to the east, Wyoming to the northeast, Idaho to the north, Arizona to the south, and Nevada to the west. It also touches a corner of New Mexico in the southeast.

United States federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

Contents

Events

August

The Tank Hollow Fire was first reported on August 11, 2017 at 9:45 AM at Sheep Creek in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, approximately 19 miles east of Spanish Fork, Utah. The fire was started by a lightning strike and was fueled by timber, grass, and brush, including juniper, sage, mixed conifer, and Douglas fir. [1] By August 27, the fire had burned 3,500 acres (14 km2) and was 40 percent contained. Numerous campgrounds were closed, as well as five forest service roads. [2] The next day, the fire expanded to the Tie Fork drainage and 220 fire personnel were fighting the fire. [3]

Spanish Fork, Utah City in Utah, United States

Spanish Fork is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 39,443 as of a 2017 estimate.

Lightning atmospheric discharge of electricity

Lightning is a sudden electrostatic discharge that occurs usually during a thunderstorm. This discharge occurs between electrically charged regions of a cloud, between two clouds, or between a cloud and the ground.

Douglas fir species of tree

Pseudotsuga menziesii is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is known as Douglas fir, Douglas-fir, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are two varieties: coast Douglas-fir, and Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir.

On August 29, the fire had grown to 4,172 acres (17 km2) and its containment was lowered to 20 percent. Dozer lines were created from Corral Canyon to Tie Fork Rd. to keep the fire from expanding north towards transmission lines and east beyond Tie Fork Rd. The fire creeped back into Sheep Creek and moved south east towards US Route 40, threatening homes. Helicopters were bringing water from Strawberry Reservoir, but were stopped as temporary water resources were created in the fire area, reducing turnaround time. [4] Fire activity increased due to a spot fire near Soberville Hollow which then expanded into Baker Canyon. Heavy winds forced fire crews to leave Corral Canyon due to safety reasons. [5] On August 30, crews continued to help keep the fire from Tie Fork Rd., using the road itself, natural barriers and hand digging. Cloud cover helped slow the growth of the fire. Upper Tie Fork Single Track trail was closed. [6]

Bulldozer tracked vehicle equipped with a substantial metal plate

A bulldozer is a crawler equipped with a substantial metal plate used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, or other such material during construction or conversion work and typically equipped at the rear with a claw-like device to loosen densely compacted materials.

U.S. Route 40 in Utah section of U.S. Highway in Utah

The west end of U.S. Route 40 is in the U.S. state of Utah at Silver Creek Junction in Silver Summit with Interstate 80. From there it heads southeast through Heber City and east into Colorado on its way to the Mid-Atlantic.

Strawberry Reservoir reservoir in Wasatch County, Utah

Strawberry Reservoir is a large reservoir in the U.S. state of Utah. It is Utah's most popular fishery, receiving over 1.5 million angling hours annually and is part of the Blue Ribbon Fisheries program. Game fish in the reservoir include sterilized rainbow trout, bear lake cutthroat trout, kokanee salmon and crayfish. It is located 23 miles (37 km) southeast of Heber, Utah on U.S. Route 40. The reservoir is situated in Strawberry Valley. This valley is normally part of the Colorado River drainage. The dam was constructed to divert water into Utah Valley.

September

By September 1, the fire was 40% contained at 4,710 acres (19 km2). Cooler and wet weather helped dampen the fire, creating smoldering in many areas. The fire did continue to move northeast in Soberville and Baker Canyons. Dozers were used to create fire lines and a contingency plan was created to protect areas east of Tie Fork. [7] The fire grew, moving down into Baker Canyon, burning debris and "improving overall forest health," according to the US Forest Service. The containment line was widened by controlled burning. A Temporary Flight Restriction was put in place earlier during the fire and during late August and early September, there were six airspace intrusions due to uncleared pilots flying into the area. [8] The fire had grown to 5,000 acres (20 km2) by September 4. [9]

The fire grew to over 7,000 acres (28 km2) by the morning of September 6. [10] Crews made major progress at containment using low intensity backing fire to control the main fire, aided by helicopters, hand crews and hotshot crews. Letting the fire burn in contained areas burned away hazardous fuels and in the long term would improve forest health. [11] By September 8, the fire was over 50% contained and had grown to 9,159 acres (37 km2). [12]

Interagency hotshot crew

In the United States, an interagency hotshot crew (IHC), or simply hotshot crew, is an elite team of 20 wildland firefighters, the most highly trained in the country, which are prepared to battle the most serious fires nationwide. They meet and exceed the requirements of Type 1 firefighters in terms of their extensive training, high physical fitness standards, and ability to undertake difficult, dangerous, and stressful assignments. They often respond to large, high-priority fires and are trained and equipped to work in remote areas for extended periods of time with little logistical support.

By September 15, the forest incident commanders reported being "please with the fire effects," and that the anticipate that the fire "will improve Forest health and aspen regeneration which will develop better habitat for wildlife." Unicorn Campground and a number of roads reopened, with select roads and trails remaining closed do the potential for mudslides or trees that can fall down. [13]

December

The fire was contained on December 5, 2017. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Tank Hollow Fire". InciWeb. US Forest Service. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  2. ↑ "Tank Hollow Fire Update August 27, 2019". InciWeb. US Forest Service. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  3. ↑ "August 28, 2017 Tank Hollow Fire Update". InciWeb. US Forest Service. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  4. ↑ "Tank Hollow Fire Update". InciWeb. US Forest Service. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "Tank Hollow Fire Update - August 30, 2017". InciWeb. US Forest Service. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "Tank Hollow Fire Update - August 31, 2017". InciWeb. US Forest Service. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  7. ↑ "Tank Hollow Fire Update - September 1, 2017". InciWeb. US Forest Service. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  8. ↑ "Tank Hollow Fire Update - September 2, 2017". InciWeb. US Forest Service. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  9. ↑ "Tank Hollow Fire Update - September 4, 2017". InciWeb. US Forest Service. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  10. ↑ "Tank Hollow Fire Update - September 6, 2017". InciWeb. US Forest Service. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  11. ↑ "Tank Hollow Fire Update - September 7, 2017". InciWeb. US Forest Service. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  12. ↑ "Tank Hollow Fire Update - September 8, 2017". InciWeb. US Forest Service. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  13. ↑ "Tank Hollow Fire Update - September 15, 2017". InciWeb. US Forest Service. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
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