County fire warden reports 16,000-acre Yellow Lake Fire; structures so far spared

County fire warden Brandon updated the Duchesne County Commission on Oct. 7 about the Yellow Lake Fire, saying crews had the incident roughly 7% contained and that the blaze covered about 16,000 acres. Brandon said roughly 500 personnel and multiple aircraft were on scene and that retardant drops had been used in strategic locations to slow spread. “Last night, they dropped a bunch of retardant to try to slow it down on strategic spots,” Brandon said.

Commissioners asked whether any structures had been lost. Brandon replied no: the only structure at risk was a single home on Highway 35 at the forest border, where crews staged protection work and had the structure in “the black.” County staff and emergency managers said there were active night operations and that winds had eased overnight, improving conditions. The commission discussed relying more on local resources as some federal air resources were reallocated to East Coast hurricane response.

Shelley Brennan of county emergency services told the board the county had offered shelter and space for livestock at the fairgrounds and asked to be notified of any unfilled needs. Commissioners thanked wildfire crews and federal partners for their cooperation and agreed to remain closely involved as the Type 2 team transitions into incident command.

The county did not report any formal evacuation orders during the briefing; commissioners asked staff to coordinate public information through the incoming Type 2 team’s PIO when available. The board said it would continue to track operational briefings and provide logistic support as requested.