UTAH COUNTY – Two major roads have been reopened in Spanish Fork after they had to be shut down due to the Pole Creek Fire. Business owners are elated because the closure drained a lot of money out of their pockets.
The closing of S.R. 6 in Spanish Fork Canyon was a major inconvenience for drivers who frequently used it. One man told KSL he likes to drive from Price to Spanish Fork several times a months, However, when the freeway was closed, “When it’s shut down, it takes an extra two to two-and-a-half hours to make it up here.”
Hung Luu manages the Little Acorn Drive-In at the mouth of the canyon. He estimates he saw roughly 10 percent of his normal business because traffic going toward his restaurant was being diverted away.
“That meant I had to add money to the building so I can keep the door open,” he says.
He’s back open, but with a skeleton crew so he could save money.
“I can’t afford to pay anyone around here except myself and one of the cooks in the back because there was no business,” says Luu.
By Thursday afternoon, UHP had reopened Highway 89. Before that, it had been closed right at the S.R. 6 juncture. However, Pole Creek Fire Spokesman Robert Francis says other roads connected to S.R.6 are still closed, not just because of the Pole Creek Fire, but also because of the Coal Hollow, which is still burning.
“There are other patches in there that weren’t burned, also. There are still areas that can still be burned inside the Coal Hollow Area,” Francis says.
People living along Highway 89 south of S.R. 6 are allowed to go back home, but, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office says residents will still be under a pre-evacuation order.
