Widemouth 2 Fire Hits 50% Containment as Flood Risk Rises in Central Utah

Overview

• Incident managers reported in the Aug. 13 update that the Widemouth 2 Fire has burned about 129,574 acres and is roughly 50% contained with about 861 personnel on the line.
• Crews have used planned firing operations, backfires, hand crews with drip torches and drone support to build long containment lines and tie them into existing burn scars while crews mop up and start initial rehabilitation work.
• Recent cooler, moister weather helped firefighters gain ground but forecasts for monsoonal storms have raised the risk of heavy, localized rain that can trigger flash floods and debris flows on newly burned slopes.
• Federal managers have issued closure and fire-prevention orders that restrict public access to Fishlake National Forest and BLM lands, and response operations are managing the operational fallout of a recent helicopter crash that killed both pilots.
• Communities from Fillmore to Kanosh are shifting from evacuation posture to flood mitigation by clearing canals, building berms and filling sandbags, a strategy informed by costly post-fire floods on nearby burn scars that officials say could repeat with heavy monsoon downpours.