Bridal Veil Falls blaze flares up

After burning through 700 acres over the weekend, the Spring Lake fire in Payson Canyon is contained, but the blaze at Bridal Veil Falls has flared up again, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Forest Service spokeswoman Loyal Clark said the Payson fire was contained Monday evening. All roads that were closed due to the blaze, such as the Mt. Nebo Loop scenic drive, have been reopened. All campgrounds in the area are also open to the public.

"The canyon is back open again," said Sgt. Spencer Cannon of the Utah County Sheriff's Office.

Two hundred firefighters from Utah, Idaho, Arizona and Nevada have worked to contain the fire since it began Friday. Clark said the Forest Service will start releasing those crews today and Wednesday, keeping two crews and two engines on for several days to monitor the burn area.

Seventy-two homes were initially evacuated due to the fire, but none were damaged, Clark said. A firefighter suffered a broken finger while fighting the blaze and another was treated for dehydration, she said, but no other injuries were reported.

Clark said the fire was caused by a downed power line. The line came down due to "line fatigue," she said, which means gradual wear weakened the line to the point where it eventually fell from its structure.

A Forest Service team will assess the extent of the damage and will determine whether reseeding or other measures must be taken to mitigate the threat of mud slides or debris flows, Clark said.

In Provo Canyon, the fire that began on Pioneer Day near Bridal Veil Falls has sparked up again in several stands of spruce trees. Three helicopters are combatting the fire, but the terrain is too steep for firefighters to fight the blaze on the ground. Clark said the flare-ups are being contained on several sides and firefighters are allowing the flames to burn themselves out on the steep, rocky cliffs.

"One of our pilots was telling us yesterday that it's so steep up there that just the vertical face of the cliff presents a hazard to the helicopters," Clark said.

The fire began in the abandoned Bridal Veil Falls Restaurant, and spread when thunderstorms blew burning embers into the nearby trees. The blaze went on to burn 240 acres, but Clark said there is no danger of the fire spreading further.

Investigators determined that the fire was human-caused, but are unsure whether it was accidental or arson.

The trail between Vivian Park and Nunn's Park remains closed. Clark said joggers and bicyclists have found ways around the barricades that are blocking the trail, but she urged people to avoid the area because loose rocks have been blown down from the cliffs by helicopters that are battling the fire.

"It's been a huge concern to us just for public safety in the areas where the rocks and debris are coming down where the helicopter's working. It presents a significant hazard to the public," Clark said.

Clark said the 2008 fire season in Utah County has been delayed by the late winter, heavy snowpack and spring rains. But with the hot, dry conditions the county has been facing lately, the fire season could pick up if there is no rain in the near future, she said.

"If the monsoons come further up into central Utah and we get the wetting rains then that would help, but if they stay south then we would have an active fire season through September," Clark said.

• Jeremy Duda can be reached at 344-2561 or jduda@heraldextra.com.