This is your daily news rundown for Tuesday, July 14. In this edition:
- The Stookey Fire near Vernon doubled in size overnight and could require evacuations
- Utah's weekend heat wave also impacted flights coming into Salt Lake City
- A state survey wants to know how much Utahns know about life jacket safety
Residents near Vernon are readying for a possible fire evacuation
Some residents near Vernon have been preparing in case of evacuation due to the nearby Stookey Fire.
The human-caused fire first sparked on Friday, and doubled in size between Monday and Tuesday to more than 9,000 acres.
Communities along the east side of the fire are now in “ready” evacuation status.
Meanwhile, ground crews have been actively working on containment, with hotshot crews working through Monday night.
You can find daily updates on Utah fires on UPR's wildfire page.
Utah’s heat wave forced three flights to divert from Salt Lake
Utah’s massive heat wave didn’t just affect people — it also impacted flights.
Over the weekend, three flights were diverted away from the Salt Lake City International Airport. One pilot told air traffic control it was “too hot for us to land.”
That’s because warmer air gets less dense, as does air higher above sea level. Combined, that means planes struggle more — longer take-off distances, longer landings, and maybe not getting into the air at all.
Salt Lake City hit a record-breaking 109 degrees on Sunday. An extreme heat warning from the National Weather Service across most of the state ended on Tuesday.
How much do Utahns know about life jacket safety? This survey wants to know
The Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation has a simple question for Utahns: how much do you know about life jacket safety?
With its new online survey, the division hopes to collect data on current knowledge and educate residents on how to stay safe.
That includes information like how to pick the proper type of life jacket and laws on alcohol when boating.
The survey is open to Utah residents 18 and up. You can find it and other boating info on the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreations website.
