View of the Dollar Ridge Fire from Strawberry Bay Marina / Peter Samore, KSL Newsradio
WASATCH COUNTY — One of the newest wildfires burning across Utah is growing quickly near Strawberry Reservoir.
The Dollar Ridge fire has reached 30,000 acres. Officials say 200 to 300 homes have been evacuated. Utah’s Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands says it sparked Sunday just southeast of Strawberry Reservoir.
The fire started on private land, quickly burning toward homes and cabins in the Beaver Canyon area.
About 10 buildings are evacuated. The Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office also put dozens of other families on pre-evacuation notice, as the fire burns dangerously close to neighborhoods in the Strawberry River Drainage, and Timber Canyon areas.
They say this fire will likely burn on for several days, if not longer.
Right now 100 firefighters have been assigned to the Dollar Ridge Fire, but many more are headed that way.
Ken Allen had been fishing since Thursday on Strawberry Reservoir.
“I was surprised how many guys came out,” the Murray man said, referring to firefighters. “I didn’t realize the fire was that big. That’s pretty crazy.”
Allen’s friend, Kim Brown, found the campground host.
“I said, ‘Man, look at that fire,’” Brown recalled. The host said he would check on that.
“And then came back and said, ‘Well, right now, we’ll just be on alert.’”
They were relatively safe from the Dollar Ridge Fire that had been fueled by strong winds and plenty of dry brush in steep terrain in Wasatch and Duchesne counties.
Crews know humans started the blaze.
“That’s a bad thing,” Brown said. “People should be more cautious. It’s very dry up here, so you’ve got to be careful.”
This year, Utah’s Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands reports 92% of Utah’s 385 wildfires this year have been human-caused.
Contributing: Peter Samore, Andrew Adams, Kira Hoffelmeyer
