Another community meeting concerning the Yellow Lake Fire, this time organized by Duchesne County Fire and Office of Emergency Services, is being held tonight at Tabiona’s old high school gym at 6pm. The meeting held last night at the Duchesne County Fairgrounds allowed for fire officials to dispel rumors, address concerns, and explain evacuation protocols. Joseph Flores, fire management officer for Ashley National Forest, explained the conditions that led up to the Yellow Lake Fire, primarily that flash drought conditions increased fire danger to levels comparable to peak fire season in July. He confirmed that among the factors is the large amount of bug killed trees that are dead and down. Another major factor this week has been the winds. While the winds can be good in order to move the smoke out, the winds can drive the fire hard and there is not much crews can do to stop it at that point. While they are hoping for the best, ideal weather conditions may be a few weeks out. What they are really hoping for is a really strong cold front that will come down with a lot of moisture, put snow down, drop temperatures, keep them low, and keep the snow on the ground, explained Flores. Unfortunately, that system probably isn’t coming until November. Stay up to date on the Yellow Lake Fire at UtahFireInfo.gov or on the Utah Fire Info Facebook page.
