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The Tank Hollow Fire continues to spread causing closures throughout area

Posted at 3:44 PM, Sep 04, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-04 23:02:48-04

SPANISH FORK CANYON – More than 350 personnel from across the state continue to battle the Tank Hollow fire.

According to the Great Basin Incident Management Team, the fire started on August 11th and has since burned more than 5,000 acres in the Sheep Creek drainage on the Spanish Fork Ranger District of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.

Fire managers, personnel from the U.S Forest Service, State of Utah Department of Natural Resources, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands, and the Bureau of Land Management are currently fighting the lightning-caused blaze.

Incident Management says the fire has closed multiple areas including “the area at the Junction of Sheep Creek road (Forest Service Road #051) and Indian Creek road (Forest Service road #042) know as Unicorn Ridge campground and dispersed camping area, including entire segments of Forest Service road #032, Forest Service road #761, Tie Fork road (Forest Service road #725) and Upper Tie Fork Single Track trail (Forest Service trail #023) located in Township 10 South, Range 6 East, Section 19, northeast quarter all within the Salt Lake Based Meridian.”

Fire authorities say the closures aim to protect public health and safety between September 2nd and September 10th when fire operations are underway.

According to officials the penalty for violating the closures are fines are “not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization and/or imprisonment for not more than 6 months.”

The fire is currently 40-percent contained and the current estimated date until full containment is October 15th.

According to the incident meteorologist, Dan Borsum, if you’re seeing hazy conditions throughout the Wasatch Front it is likely not the product of the Tank Hollow Fire. He says what you are seeing is most likely smoke from numerous larger fires in the Pacific Northwest and Montana.

Borsum says, “The national smoke impacts to Utah will get worse before they get better.”