Thompson Ridge Fire Containment at 85%

The Thompson Ridge fire is all but contained and Central Utah Interagency Fire has indicated that there will no longer be daily updates on the fire unless “significant” activity occurs.

Weather has certainly been a factor leading to the progress in containment of the fire. Along with the rain, high humidity in the region caused activity of the fire to decrease in a dramatic fashion. Humid conditions remained in the region with sporadic rain continuing to fall on the fire. During the day, crews were able to seek out remaining heat sources around much of the perimeter.

The Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) assisted firefighters in this process by identifying the heat sources so crews could mop up any hot spots that threatened the line. The UAS was then released after reconnaissance flights were completed to detect these heat signatures. Fire behavior is expected to be minimal.

With the current weather, increased and near-record wet fuel moistures, and high humidity, there is little threat to the fire perimeter. Firefighters will continue to work the remaining uncontained portions of the fire’s edge and monitor and patrol the fire area. Potential for growth is low, but fire managers want to ensure as much containment as possible during this period of moderate fire behavior.

Crews continue to patrol and check containment lines on the Thompson Ridge Fire. They will work to repair spike camps and clean up from the previous weeks of firefighting efforts. Spotty rain and gusty winds are expected, but continued relative humidity recovery should keep fire behavior to a minimum and within containment lines.

The Great Basin Incident Management Team 5 has turned command of fire operations over to Fishlake National Forest leadership and resources. The Fishlake National Forest has reduced the closure area impacting roads and trails nearby the Thompson Ridge Fire perimeter. The public is advised to remain cautious when recreating in fire-impacted areas. There continue to be many hazards in the burned area requiring ongoing assessment and repair before the area can be fully reopened.

A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has started working on the Thompson Ridge Fire to stabilize and prevent unacceptable degradation to natural resources. BAER teams are staffed with specialists in hydrology, soils, engineering and vegetation to treat the burned area. Treatments can include reseeding with native species and improving drainage to prevent washouts and flooding.

The Thompson Ridge fire is now listed at 85% containment and having burned 7,253 acres. No evacuations have been ordered and no structure are threatened.