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Show Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 11 Gunnison, UT ECRWSS Gunnison Valley celebrates Pioneer Day! Salt Creek Fire Volume 3 • Number 30 by MITCH PETERSON Thanks to the skill and effort of local, state, and federal firefighters- and a double dose of Mother Nature’s kindnessthe Sanpete County town of Fountain Green was spared from the ravages of the Salt Creek fire last Sunday, July 22nd. That fire started last Thursday, July 19th, in Salt Creek Canyon and quickly spread in multiple directions- burning facilities and trailers at the Camperworld Campground near the center of the canyon and closing State Road 132 between Nephi and Fountain Green, as well as the Nebo Loop Road, and the Big Hollow Road from Fountain Green to Indianola. As of Monday night, the Nebo Loop was open from Payson to the Santaquin Canyon Road, and the Santaquin Canyon Road is open. Big Hollow road was still closed. SR 132 was still closed Monday night but expected to open for traffic Tuesday, July 24th at 9 a.m.. The fire also caused a number of power outages for much of Sanpete county as crews rerouted power while restoring damaged lines in the canyon. The fire raced toward the Indianola area in northern Sanpete County last Saturday, forcing the mandatory evacuation of four different subdivisions in that valley. Some homeowners have been allowed back in to retrieve items, but most of the evacuations were still in effect as of Monday night. The wind changed Sunday, pushing the fire back toward Fountain Green. A wall of flames roared down out of the hills late that afternoon as residents and onlookers gathered on the north end of town to see the spectacle for themselves. As Thursday, July 26, 2007 the flames got to within a couple miles of town, the wind shifted slightly and some rain fell. Firefighters started a back-burn and an air tanker dropped retardant on critical areas. The efforts paid off as the lines held. Later that night, an even more substantial rainfall provided further relief. By morning, the threat had subsided. Fountain Green Mayor Scott Collard is grateful for all the firefighters who helped out, including a crew from the Gunnison Valley Fire Department. “Tell those guys how much we appreciate their help,” Collard said. “We’ve had dozens of firefighters volunteer, and several local contractors have contributed time and equipment,” Collard said. It’s the second fire to approach the town in the past few months. Last fall’s “Polly’s Peak” fire burned to within a few blocks of the east end of Fountain Green. “You’ve just got to stay calm in that situation,” Collard said, “and everybody did a great job.” Despite some conflicting reports, there was never an evacuation notice issued to Fountain Green residents Sunday. “We sent out fliers to let folks know that they may need to prepare to leave, and to stay home and listen to the radio,” Collard said. His wife Lisa loaded their car with items. “Just in case we needed to get out in a hurry,” she said. The annual Fountain Green Lamb Days celebration went on as scheduled last Friday and Saturday, and attracted it’s usual big crowds. According to estimates Monday, the Salt Creek fire has consumed about 21,500 acres of land in an area between Nephi, Fountain Green, and Indianola. Containment numbers are still sketchy, but was thought to be at about 20 percent on Monday. Mark Henline/GVG The Mayfield Lions Club’s annual Wild Duck Race was another huge success this year. The Lions sold just under 2700 ducks at $5 each. The winning duck was bought by Dale Cox of Manti. Dale won a Kawasaki Mule 610 4x4 sponsored by Mason Kawasaki of Aurora. Neil Sorensen’s duck came in second place winning him a new barbecue grill. Nancy Littlefield won a cooler when her duck came in third place. Pictured above is Lee Sorenson; Mayfield Lions Club President, Rachel Henry; owner of Mason Kawasaki, Rachel’s son, and Richard Bjerregaard, the Wild Duck chairman. Pictured left is Wayne Connolly with one of the winning ducks. Copy Price • 75 cents Mitch Peterson/Gunnison Valley Gazette Fountain Green residents watched as flames from the Salt Creek fire roared toward their town Sunday, July 22nd. The area still isn’t out of danger, as hot spots continue to flare up, and the weather remains unpredictable. It was burning back into the Big Hollow area Monday night. Fountain Green firefighter Scott Young was on the fire line four straight days, but said Monday night that he was hoping to celebrate the 24th holiday with his family. Young is on the town’s fire department, and he’s also a certified wildland firefighter. He was manning a brush truck crew near Fountain Green Sunday. “Almost every fire de- partment in the county has sent out brush trucks,” Young said. “They send us out with the hotshot teams, and we provide water support for them.” He’s also pulled watch duty, and spent all Friday night on the divide east of Fountain Green. “Right now, I’m going to get some rest,” he said. According to the Utah Fire Information web site, as of Monday, 1 helicopter, 13 fire engines, 4 bulldozers, 7 water tenders, and 3 hand crews were fighting the Salt Creek fire, for a total of 248 personnel. Utah Fire Info also says crews spent Monday building hand lines and dozer lines, conducting burnout operations, and providing structural protection, in an effort to secure and confine the fire approximately a mile and a half to two miles north of Fountain Green, all with aerial support. Flames up to 30 feet are reported. Creeping and smouldering was observed on the west side of the fire, near Nephi. Other areas still continue to display extreme fire behavior. Utah residents are reminded that fire restrictions remain in place. No campfires are allowed on any lands in Utah outside of developed, designated campgrounds. Barbecues and charcoal are also prohibited. Propane stoves are permitted. Vegetation remains very dry, and everyone is encouraged to be very careful with any potential ignition sources. Please be careful with anything that may spark a fire, including cigarettes, campstoves, lanterns, and ATV’s. For more information about the Salt Creek Fire or fire restrictions, check out utahfireinfo.gov. Mark Henline/Gunnison Valley Gazette Centerfield’s Grand Marshals, Neil and Colleen Nielson. Valley celebrations Activities were held throughout the Gunnison Valley this past Monday and Tuesday to celebrate the 24th of July. Axtell held a community dinner for friends and families at Anthony’s Flat up Willow Creek Canyon. Centerfield had its annual Main Street parade and roast beef dinner on Monday and held a breakfast on Tuesday morning. Fayette celebrated with an early morning flag ceremony followed by a community breakfast. The town then held a parade at 9 with games and races at the park following. Their celebration was concluded with a pot luck lunch. Mayfield held its annual parade at 10 a.m. fol- lowed by activities at the park sponsored by the Mayfield Lions Club. The park activities featured lots of good food, an auction, the band “In Cahoots” and lots of games for the kids. The Mayfield celebration ended at 2:30 with the Wild Duck Race, which was delayed for half an hour due to a heavy rain downpour. |
