SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - A welcome rain storm helped weary crews get a leg up on several wildfires burning across Utah.
The rains fell most of the morning and into the early afternoon on Thursday, providing enough moisture to keep slow the seemingly relentless pace of the fires over the past two weeks.
While the weather may have moistened Utah's dry timber and brush, the rain also slowed crews' progress a little.
Some fires that had been burning for several days were completely contained, including the Millville Canyon Fire in Cache County along with the Uinta and the Pole Creek fires in Duschesne County.
Here is a look at the major wildfires burning in Utah:
Quail Fire:
The Quail Fire was sparked by a piece of construction equipment on Tuesday in Alpine.
The fire burned 2,222 acres by Friday morning and crews had gained 95 percent containment.
The fire destroyed two homes and other structures in the area.
Evacuations have now been lifted in most areas, while access restrictions were still in place for Box Elder Cove Subdivision, and the following streets were open to residents with valid ID: Bald Mountain Dr, Bald Mountain Circle, Golden Eagle Dr, Holly Dr, and Preston Dr.
An additional area closure has been placed on all National Forest System lands within the Lone Peak Wilderness including all Forest System trails, located on the Pleasant Grove Ranger District, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Utah County.
American Fork Canyon and Alpine Loop road will be open up to the Granite Flat Campground.
The Granite Flat campground is open along with all recreation sites. The closure in American Fork Canyon has been partially lifted, allowing access to Timpanogos Cave National Monument for cave tours. The visitor center and concessions will open at 7:00am with the first hike to the caves at 7:20 a.m.
Shingle Fire:
The Shingle Fire began on Monday in Kane County 6 miles south of Duck Creek Village.
On Friday, the Kane County Sheriff's Office lifted the evacuation order for communities north of Highway 14.
Highway 14 was opened for full public access, but because of heavy traffic on the road and fire operations immediately south of the highway, officials asked people to not stop along the highway within the fire area.
Evacuations orders remained in effect for Swains, Stout Canyon, and Ponderosa Village subdivisions, and portions of Harris Flats subdivision south of Highway 14.
Officials said the Swain Creek subdivision evacuation order would be lifted at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 7th.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, but officials believe it was caused by a faulty parking brake on an ATV.
The fire had already burned more than 8,284 acres by Friday morning, with 0 percent containment.
Clay Springs Fire:
The Clay Springs Fire began on Wednesday June 27, 5 miles south of Oak City.
As of Friday morning, the fire had consumed 108,191 acres and was 72% contained.
One summer home was damaged, along with two outbuildings.
The fire spread over a mountain and into Juab County, outside of Mills.
There were also two injuries associated with the fire, when firefighters received some burns. The severity of those injuries was not immediately known, but they were taken to the University of Utah Medical Center Burn Unit.
Officials say the fire was human-caused, but the exact cause was still under investigation.
Seeley Fire:
Crews were fighting a fire on the Manti-La Sal National Forest on Seeley Mountain between the Left Fork of Huntington Canyon and Horse Canyon.
The fire was reported on June 26 and is thought to have been caused by lightning.
Road closures included: SR-31 at Crandall Canyon and at Miller Flat, FS-014 from Miller Flat Road south to Potters Flat, SR-122 at junction of SR-10, SR-139W at the railroad tracks, SR-96 and SR-6. SR-264 at Flat Canyon Reservoir. Evacuation areas include: Electric Lake, Scofield, Clear Creek, Cleveland campground, Miller Flat Reservoir and Hog Flat areas, and several youth camps. Hiawatha has been re-opened to residents only. Access to a coal load out facility at Wattis was also reopened. Carbon County Sheriff’s office is coordinating permitted escorted visits into evacuation areas for immediate needs. Please call 435-636-3746 to request an appointment with an officer.
As of Friday morning, the fire had burned 48,449 acres and was 21 percent contained.
Church Camp Fire:
The Church Camp Fire began on Sunday in the Argyle Canyon area near the Carbon- Duchesne County line north of Price, Utah.
As of July 3, 14 residences (cabins) and 45 outbuildings or other (anything man-made) had been destroyed.
The fire had burned 7,100 acres by Friday morning and officials were reporting 90 percent containment. They expected to have full containment by Saturday.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation.
Wolf Den Fire:
The Wolf Den fire started on June 29, 4 miles north of Big Park, Utah.
The fire had consumed 16,865 acres as of Friday morning and was reportedly 60 percent contained.
No evacuations were in place, but the Atchee Ridge Road was closed (east access) to the Book Cliffs.
----Information from: utahfireinfo.gov
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