This is your daily news rundown for Tuesday, July 21. In this edition:
- Flash flooding devastated the Beaver area, worsened by wildfire burn scars
- The U.S. Forest Service determined what caused the Babylon Fire
After surviving a massive wildfire, Beaver now faces devastation from floods
Flash flooding devastated the Beaver area in southwestern Utah over the last several days, worsened by burn scars from the massive Cottonwood Fire.
Around 80 homes in the Grove area were damaged and the entire neighborhood was evacuated.
The flood also contaminated Beaver City’s tap water. The Grove area from the canyon ballfield East is still completely without water as of Tuesday afternoon.
Parts of State Route 153 through Beaver Canyon were severely damaged or completely washed away. The road is closed indefinitely starting at mile marker 7.5.
Early Tuesday morning, another flash flood warning was issued for much of Beaver and surrounding areas.
The city council unanimously voted to extend a declaration of emergency on Monday night because of flooding. The declaration, which was initially put in place because of the Cottonwood Fire, will go until the end of September.
Federal foresters have finally determined what caused Utah’s largest fire
The U.S. Forest Service has determined what caused Utah’s biggest wildfire.
The Babylon Fire was first discovered on June 26 in the Manti-La Sal National Forest. However, the agency says it was actually sparked by lightning a day earlier.
Foresters determined the cause using a review of the area and data from Enterprise Geospatial Portal, a network that gathers information for firefighters to make management decisions.
In almost a month since that first spark, the Babylon Fire has grown to over 107,000 acres, making it the largest in the nation and Utah’s largest in a decade. It’s currently 95% contained.
