This is your daily news rundown for Tuesday, July 7. In this edition:
- Eureka residents are preparing for worse flooding because of the Iron Fire
- Utah revoked a "troubled teen" boarding school's license
- The Babylon Fire is the largest in Utah and the country
With the Iron Fire contained, Eureka is now preparing for floods
After weeks of being under threat from the Iron Fire, Eureka residents in central Utah are now preparing for the next possible danger — flash flooding.
Though the fire is now totally contained, the burned areas it left behind are much more water-repellant. That could mean mudslides and flooding, especially from monsoonal storms.
Dozens of volunteers helped fill and stockpile sandbags on Monday, which the county will make readily available for residents to pick up if needed.
It took fire crews nearly three weeks to fully contain the Iron Fire, which burned over 40,000 acres. Both the Iron Fire and the nearby Cherry Fire forced two rounds of evacuations in the area.
Utah revoked this controversial boarding school’s license
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services revoked the license of a controversial boarding school in Springville.
Provo Canyon School is a psychiatric residential treatment facility for youth 12 to 18 years old. It faced a number of citations in the last year, including unnecessary restraint, aggressive physical contact with a student, and neglecting care.
State health officials also imposed temporary restrictions on the school in May after staff didn’t seek immediate medical care for a student with serious injuries.
Previous students have voiced concerns about the school for years, including socialite Paris Hilton. She has testified about her experiences there to Congress and state legislatures across the country. She also supported two Utah families who filed lawsuits against the school for mistreatment.
In its notice, the state said Provo Canyon School must be completely shut down by August 6.
The Babylon Fire is the biggest in Utah and the nation
The Babylon Fire surpassed the Cottonwood Fire this week as the largest fire in Utah and the country.
It’s also the first wildfire to burn over 100,000 acres since 2018.
Fire crews are using heavy equipment, hand crews, and natural terrain to reinforce containment lines.
However, the weather has been working against them, with Tuesday’s weather being hot, windy, and critically dry.
A number of closures remain in San Juan County as the fire continues to spread. That includes the entire Needles District of Canyonlands National Park and all National Forest lands, trails, and roads in the Monticello Ranger District of the Manti-La Sal National Forest.
