BEAVER — The Little Twist fire is currently projected at 1,000 acres, yet is still within the target prescribed burn area, according to a recent news release from the Central Utah Fire Interagency.
The Central Utah Type 3 Incident Management team took over command of the wildfire at 6 a.m. on Saturday. The fire grew approximately 150 acres overnight, as Friday the fire was reported at 857 acres burned.
“Yesterday, the fire was very active through the afternoon and into the evening,” the media release said. “Fire behavior is expected to remain similar, with gusty winds expected through the weekend. Smoke will remain visible from I-15, I-70, US 89 and surrounding communities.”
The incident management team will spend their first day at the site scouting areas for fire line barriers in an attempt to keep the fire within the planned containment zone, the news release continued.
On Friday, three hot shot crews, two Type 2 IA crews, the Tushar Mountain module, four local engines — as well as one Type 1 and two Type 2 helicopters — were battling the blaze, according to Natalee Hunt, assistant public information officer at Fishlake National Forest.
“Fire personnel will continue working toward confinement, utilizing aerial resources to assist in reaching overall objectives,” she said.
For the safety of both the public and firefighters, authorities are asking residents to avoid accessing Forest Road #137 (Kents Lake Road) past Upper Kents Lake, Anderson Meadow and Lebaron Campgrounds and Recreation sites, as well as the South Creek area.
“Little Reservoir, Tushar Lakeside and Kents Lake Campground are still accessible,” the media release said. “The Forest Service will notify the public when allowed to re-enter the specified areas.”
Wildfire updates and other fire-related information throughout the state of Utah can be found on X @UtahWildfire or by visiting Utah Fire Info.
Last week, Utah’s Bureau of Land Management Desert District issued a fire prevention order to announce seasonal fire restrictions in the counties of Box Elder, Cache, Juab, Millard, Morgan, Rich, Salt Lake, Summit, Tooele, Utah, Wasatch and Weber, a recent media release announced.
“We have 86 percent of Utah’s population in the 12 counties identified in the fire prevention order,” said Michael Gates, BLM West Desert District Manager. “We were fortunate to have so much moisture this year, but as we move into the summer months, we expect warmer temperatures to dry out the large grass crop and rapidly increase fire danger. We ask that all visitors to public lands be diligent in preventing wildfires.”
From June 11 until rescinded, the northern Utah fire prevention order prohibits actions such as the use of steel component ammunition and targets, sky lanterns or similar devices and operating off-highway vehicles without spark arresters.
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