This is your daily news rundown for Monday, Aug. 10. In this edition:
- Residents across Utah got false evacuation notices on Sunday
- One of the firefighters killed in Utah on Friday was identified
- Cedar City ordered an outdoor water use shutoff because of a pump failure
Some northern Utahns received false evacuation notices on Sunday
Residents across Utah were sent a false evacuation notification on Sunday evening.
The notice was intended for those in certain parts of Morgan or Summit Counties currently threatened by the Rocky Canyon Fire.
Specifically, those from Whites Crossing to East Canyon Dam and from Hog Back Summit and West Henefer Road are under evacuation orders as of Sunday.
But because of a glitch, the message was sent to far more people than intended, including parts of Wasatch, Salt Lake, Uintah, and Utah Counties.
Emergency management in those counties posted clarifications after the false notification was sent out around 5 p.m. on Sunday.
California officials identified one of the pilots killed while fighting a Utah wildfire
Officials identified one of the pilots killed while fighting the Widemouth 2 Fire on Friday.
The City of Porterville, California, and the city’s fire department confirmed one of the firefighters was Miles Elliott, who they said was a devoted father, pilot, and entrepreneur.
Elliott and another unidentified pilot were employees of Helicopter Transport Services under contract by the U.S. Forest Service.
They were killed during a helicopter crash in southern Utah while fighting the massive Widemouth 2 Fire. That fire has burned about 120,000 acres as of Monday and is estimated at a quarter contained.
Cedar City ordered an outdoor water shutoff because of a supply line leak
Cedar City ordered residents to shut off all outside water use because of a failing well pump and supply line leak.
Public works crews discovered the issue Sunday morning.
While they make the necessary repairs, residents are asked to turn off all outdoor sprinklers and irrigation. The shutoff will go until 8 p.m. on Thursday.
The cause of the failure and leak is still under investigation.
