Parleys Canyon Fire in Utah torches 3,000 acres in just THREE HOURS as 6,000 people are told to evacuate - but officials fear some are staying put
Another massive wildfire erupted in Utah on Saturday and torched more than 3,000 acres in the span of a few hours as 6,000 people were placed under evacuation orders.
The Parleys Canyon Fire broke out at around 2pm on the south side of Parleys Canyon near Highway I-80. All residents of Summit Park, Pinebrook, Mill Creek Canyon, Timberline, and Lambs Canyon are being asked to evacuate.
Some residents are refusing to evacuate, causing stress to first responders as it is interfering with their efforts to extinguish the fire and 'putting first responders in danger.'
Six-thousand to 8,000 homes are at risk of being affected as the fire has grown to be 2,500 to 3,000 acres as of 4.45pm.
Utah Fire Info estimates 2,000 structures are in danger, as well as, powerlines, leaving 2,500 homes without power as of 6pm.
As of 10.30pm local time the fire was still zero percent contained.
Whoa! A birds eye view from @KSLChopper5 of the fire up Parleys Canyon. @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/4se4GeoeZW
— Dan Rascon (@TVDanRascon) August 14, 2021
Whoa! A birds eye view from @KSLChopper5 of the fire up Parleys Canyon. @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/4se4GeoeZW
— Dan Rascon (@TVDanRascon) August 14, 2021
Whoa! A birds eye view from @KSLChopper5 of the fire up Parleys Canyon. @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/4se4GeoeZW
Parleys Canyon Fire is very hot and is endanger several counties, homes, businesses, and power lines. Residents have been asked to reduce their usage of mobile phones to keep the network available for emergency personnel
An aerial shot of the fire that is burning across Utah. The fire is moving rapidly and causing visibility to be low due to smoke
Parleys Canyon Fire started around 2pm today and the sheriff's department is urging residents from Summit Park, Pinebrook, Mill Creek Canyon, Timberline, and Lambs Canyon to evacuate immediately
The fire started after faulty catalytic converter that ejected hot particles onto the roadside and set three bushes on fire
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Both sides of Highway 180 were shut down right before 3.30pm and federal and state agencies sent in six air tankers, six engine tankers, and a collection of helicopters and ground resources to help.
A Fox News reporter reported live from the scene at around 6pm that the fire was heavy hot.
He said: 'The smoke are a very important indicator when you're looking at fires of how hot the fire is burning, how much the fire is really taking off. It is really going straight up, that means the smoke is very hot, which means the fire is very hot and has the potential to spread much, much faster.'
Utah Fire Info has determined the cause to be a faulty catalytic converter that ejected hot particles onto the roadside.
There were three bushfires spotted on the side of I-80 near mile marker post 137 between Lambs Canyon and Summit on Saturday around 2pm.
The smoke plumes from the fire are going straight up, indicating that the fire is very hot and has potential to spread much faster
There are helicopters dropping water over the the hotspots of the fire by using water buckets that they refill in large water sources nearby
I-80 was shut down on both sides by 3.20pm. Westbound has since reopened completely, but Eastbound is down to one lane. Residents are being asked not to use the road to allow emergency vehicles in
The fire is currently zero per cent contained and is estimated to be burning across 3,000 acres
A Type 2 team, who deals with large fires, has been ordered to assist, as well as, other ground and air support. A Type 3 team was requested earlier.
Although Mill Creek has not been asked to evacuate yet, the upper part of Mill Creek Canyon has been closed to hikers. An evacuation center has been set up at Park City High School for Summit Park evacuees.
Lambs Canyon residents were sent an emergency notice asking for them to leave now and make sure all the doors and windows of their homes were closed.
They were also asked to minimize phone usages to leave the network for emergencies.
Utah Fire Info reported the fire has started to slow as of 10pm.
This comes in the wake of the Dixie Fire in California that has been burning for over a month. As of 10.30pm, the Dixie Fire has been 31 percent contained by fire teams, according to Cal Fire.
The smoke is making it hard for ground teams to control the fire. There are a dozen air teams helping contain it as well
The fire has started to slow as of 10pm. 2,000 structures are in danger and 2,500 homes are without power
There is currently four fires blazing in Utah. The Parleys Canyon Fire is located in the northern part of the state and still growing
The American Red Cross has set up an evacuation center at Park City High School. They remind residents to bring a mask and check in with a volunteer when they arrive
Dixie is currently burning over 537,776 acres of land without an expected containment date. More than 1,000 buildings have been destroyed with nearly 15,000 threatened.
Lassen County is under a mandatory evacuation, while Butte county is advised to.
There are several road closures due to Dixie as well.
There are also 10 wildfires currently burning through California, covering over a million acres in the state.