Buck Basin Fire grows to 145 acres, containment rises to 64%
Containment on the Buck Basin Fire rose to 64% after significant precipitation, but FS080 and FS106 remain closed near Currant Creek Reservoir.
Containment on the Buck Basin Fire climbed to 64% after significant precipitation hit the lightning-caused blaze on the Heber-Kamas Ranger District. The fire is now mapped at 145 acres in Buck Basin, about 4 to 5 miles northwest of Currant Creek Reservoir and roughly 10 miles southeast of Heber City. FS080, Red Creek Mountain Road, and FS106, Low Pass Road, remain closed.
Smoke is still visible from Highways 35 and 40, but no structures are threatened. The fire sits on the east side of Currant Creek Road, a location that makes the remaining closures important for anyone heading toward the Buck Basin area, the ridgelines above the reservoir, or nearby forest roads in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
The acreage estimate has shifted several times as crews refined their mapping. The fire was first estimated at just over 30 acres, then mapped at 131 acres, later estimated at about 230 acres, and then brought back to 145 acres after an infrared flight updated the perimeter. The IR flight also helped crews better understand where the fire had actually burned, rather than relying on earlier estimates from the ground.
Severe thunderstorms brought both lightning and precipitation into the area, and the added moisture helped firefighters slow the spread. Warm, dry conditions had produced more active fire behavior inside the perimeter, which is why smoke increased even as the fire became more contained. That same mix of weather can change conditions quickly if the precipitation ends and fuels dry out again.
The U.S. Forest Service said a local Type 3 Incident Management Team was being assembled to take command, and the Northern Utah Incident Management Team 3 was later scheduled to take over. Summit County also issued a smoke alert, telling residents that smoke from the new fire in Wasatch County could be visible in parts of the county and should not be reported as a separate incident. A community meeting was planned in Yellow Pine for Tuesday evening, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m.
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