Firefighters making progress on western portion of Buckley Draw Fire
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- An aircraft combats the Buckley Draw fire on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.
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- Firefighters are pictured in a staging area for the Buckley Draw Fire on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, in Provo.
Firefighters made progress on the western perimeter of the Buckley Draw Fire near Provo on Tuesday to reduce wildfire risk in the valley.
Officials met at noon Tuesday and indicated there may be containment on the west face, said Northern Utah Type 3 Incident Management Team spokesperson Sierra Hellstrom, though containment officially remained at 0%.
A warning to residents near the wildfire to stay prepared for a possible evacuation also remained in effect Tuesday afternoon.
The fire grew from 400 acres Monday to an estimated 427 acres Tuesday, largely due to the growth on the east flank at the top of Buckley Mountain.
“It’s still highly active on that backside; you can kind of see the smoke billowing from behind it,” Hellstrom said. “It’s just not visible from the valley over here. That’s the big thing. There is still fire activity; it’s just not right in our backyard anymore.”
The fire broke out on the mountainside south of Slate Canyon in Provo around 5 p.m. Sunday and aircraft immediately responded.
A U.S. Forest Service Fire update Tuesday said inserting fire crews on the ground has been the biggest success against the fire. Aircraft are supporting firefighters by cooling hot spots and slowing progression, while operators on the ground have made the most suppression progress.
“Crews made progress along the southwest portion of the fire and feel like they will soon have an anchor and some containment in the portion closest to the community,” the release stated.
The greatest challenge fire crews are facing is the steep terrain, some of which is inaccessible to ground crews and aircraft, the Forest Service said. Fire managers are also reportedly considering having firefighters camp out on the mountain to reduce hiking hours and minimize exhaustion.
A temporary grounding of aircraft remained in effect Tuesday, though Hellstrom said there were no new drone incursions. Law enforcement is investigating airspace incursions that occurred Sunday and Monday.
“We’re working closely with our air operations and the FAA and law enforcement to track some of those down, because we would like to get some charges against some of those people,” Hellstrom said.
Closures remain in place for trails and recreation sites in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest near the fire.
