Trail Mountain Fire

The Trail Mountain Wildfire began when the USFS Trail Mountain Prescribed Fire escaped across Cottonwood Canyon Road to East Mountain, Wednesday, June 6, 2018. The escaped fire initially burned 300 acres, but eventually grew to over 18,000 acres . Late Sunday, June 10, wind gusts of 55 miles per hour grounded aircraft and pushed the fire northeast into Meetinghouse Canyon. The fire burned lands managed by the Manti-La Sal National Forest, Price Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management, and Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, and private lands 15 miles northwest of Orangeville, UT. Crews implemented a full-suppression strategy to contain the fire. A high voltage power line was in the path of the fire but was not significantly damaged and was turned off. One cabin near Whetstone Creek was burned June 11. The fire caused a temporary flight restriction over the fire (NOTAM 8/3678) making it so the Division of Oil, Gas and Mining (OGM) could not fly their drone with this thermal camera until Dec. 6th 2018. The fire ignited a coal refuse pile and now our Division of Oil, Gas and Mining crew have mobilized to ensure the safety of the public by monitoring and mapping he still burning coal refuse. Over the past couple of months OGM staff in the Abandoned Mines Reclamation Program (AMRP) have worked tirelessly to ensure this coal refuse pile is fully extinguished before this summers fire season starts again. For more details go to: ogm.utah.gov

Associate Director: Dana Dean
Program Manager: Steve Fluke
Project Manager: Katie Potter

Summer 2018- Trail Mountain Fire ignited several coal-waste sites
December 2018 – Staff went onsite to map and document the refuse piles
Hot spots were mapped and measured using a drone with thermal camera
Staff noted seven hot spots at two abandoned coal mines – Helco and Seagull

Accomplishments-
Extinguished 3,570 cy of coal refuse
Installed 400 linear feet of log terracing
Placed 1,200 square yards of surface control blanket
Re-vegetated three acres