Highway 89 was temporarily closed in Logan Canyon in both directions last night as a brush fire spread in Temple Fork.
The closure came at the same time as power outages around Logan and a thunderstorm sweeping through the valley.
Utah Fire Info posted their first notice of the fire at about 8 p.m. last night. While updates were posted throughout the night, the fire’s acreage was unclear.
At about 8:45 p.m., Utah Fire Info estimated the fire had burned 15 acres of grass and brush; a few hours later, the same account said the fire had burned 15 to 20 acres.
Paige Pagnocco, a public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service, said today the fire actually burned only six acres. She added it could have spread further if it weren’t for the rain.
“Just a couple hours after it started, … the severe thunderstorm came through, and the heavy rain really helped the firefighters out quite a bit," Pagnocco said.
As of this afternoon, the fire is 80% contained — though the cause is still unknown. US-89 was reopened at 1 p.m. this afternoon but Temple Fork Road is down to one lane. Commuters should expect delays.
The blaze, now called the “Blind Hollow Fire,” comes less than a month after the Canyon Road Fire that burned about 17 acres in Logan’s Island neighborhood.
Pagnocco encourages listeners to follow local fire safety guidelines to avoid a third fire in the area.
“If they're going out into the backcountry, camping, or hiking, just being super mindful of knowing if there are restrictions in place," she said, "and if even if they're not, just continuing to use common sense fire practices.”
Ongoing updates on the Blind Hollow Fire will be available on Utah Public Radio's website, Instagram, and Facebook.
