Bennion Creek and Bear fires burning near Carbon, Utah County border
Crews work on the Bennion Creek Fire in Utah County on Tuesday, June 8, 2021.
Crews work on the Bennion Creek fire in Utah County on Wednesday June 9, 2021.
The Bennion Creek Fire, currently burning near the Utah and Carbon County border, has burned an estimated 1,371 acres as of Wednesday. The Bear Fire, which started Tuesday afternoon roughly 35 miles from the Bennion Creek Fire, had burned an estimated 3,500 acres as of Wednesday.
With 0% containment, the Bear Fire is approximately 4 miles northwest of Helper along U.S. Highway 6 in rugged terrain. According to a tweet on Wednesday, U.S. 6 is still open but travel may be impacted. People can check on the status of travel through the Utah Department of Transportation.
After being reported on Tuesday, the Bear blaze grew from an estimated size of 60 acres, with ground crews disengaging due to the rapid growth. The fire reportedly started near mile marker 228 on U.S. 6.
Air support on Wednesday allowed crews to identify spots in the rugged terrain where they could slow the fire’s progress, but winds were reportedly picking up on Wednesday afternoon.
“Do not stop along Hwy 6 near the fire area to take photos or watch suppression efforts, proceed with caution and be on the lookout for firefighters working along the travel corridor,” a Tuesday tweet from Utah Fire Info said.
The cause of the Bear Fire is still under investigation.
Crews working on the Bennion Creek Fire saw dry and windy conditions on Tuesday, which led to some moderate fire growth.
Sparked on Friday, the Bennion Creek Fire has been burning in remote and rugged terrain with ground crews having trouble gaining access. The naturally caused fire also led to the evacuation of a nearby Boy Scout camp, with about 100 individuals being evacuated.
As of Monday, the fire had burned about 700 acres and was 0% contained. The containment was updated to 10% on Tuesday thanks to work from fire crews and aircraft support, with the fire growing to 1,200 acres.
For more information on wildfires throughout Utah, visit utahfireinfo.gov or follow @utahwildfire on Twitter.
