Fire burns 20 acres in Westwater Canyon near Blanding

Damage from a June 15 wildfire in Westwater Canyon - on the western edge of Blanding – was kept to a minimum by a large firefighting effort. Approximately 20 acres burned.
Flames broke out on the afternoon of Fathers Day in the canyon near the Utah State University Blanding campus and spread north up the canyon. Crews fought the fire for several hours, with assistance from a helicopter and several fixed wing aircraft. The aircraft were using water from the nearby Blanding Fourth Reservoir.
From the beginning, the fire attempted to break out of the canyon toward the homes and properties to the east and the west of the canyon, but were kept largely contained by fire crews, who worked into the night.
The fire consumed grass, trees and shrubbery, in addition to at one barn, an old school bus and tires.
The San Juan County Sheriff’s office issued a standby notification for possible evacuation for homes in the area north of the road to Westwater and west of 600 West. It was rescinded afterward.
Blanding fire fighters, under the direction of Fire Chief Corey Spillman, led the effort. Within a short period of time, additional resources were involved, including the aircraft and a Hot Shot crew.
Blanding firefighter Bret Saunders said, “The work of a lot of amazing people stopped the flames. The fire tried to come out, but they were able to keep it in the canyon. It could have been a lot different.”
The fire started in Red Flag conditions, a deadly combination of three conditions: very low humidity, high winds, and hot temperatures.
During the fire, the San Juan County Sheriff’s office pleaded with people to stop “gawking” at the fire. The private vehicles threatened to impede access to the fire by fire fighters and emergency response crews.
In addition, law enforcement officials encouraged a call to 911 when there is an emergency of any kind.
San Juan County declared a closed fire season starting June 1.