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Duchesne County officials say rapid multi-agency effort contained Tabby Mountain Fire
Summary
Fire and county officials reported the Tabby Mountain Fire, first called in Saturday afternoon, was aggressively engaged by local departments, federal resources and aircraft; dozer lines and a task-force crew helped achieve containment and return crews home for rest.
Duchesne County officials on July 7 described a fast, multi-agency response that contained the Tabby Mountain Fire after it was reported Saturday around 3 p.m.
"It was already it was growing from an acre to possibly 5 at that time," said Josh, the county's fire chief, describing the fire's early behavior. He told commissioners that local departments (Tabby, Fruitland, Duchesne and Altamont), Bureau of Indian Affairs resources, Forest Service and state forestry responded and that air resources included both a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft that dropped retardant to slow forward spread. County dozer lines were constructed to anchor and contain the fire through the night.
Josh said crews were able to tie-in dozer lines and that a Richfield-based task-force crew arrived Sunday morning. "We met them up at the OC. They stayed staged there and then got on scene, Sunday morning and mopped it up and basically 100% containment at that point," he said. Crews were assigned to monitor the area during the week and planned a three-day layover prior to returning to regular operations.
County officials noted the season's high-pressure weather and increased temperatures that are thinning regional firefighter resources, and they urged caution around fireworks and other human activities that can ignite fires. The chief said the cause was under investigation and potentially human and natural factors were both possible.
Officials also described local infrastructure that aided the response, including recently installed hydrants and road access near Tabby Springs, and commended the interagency coordination that allowed aircraft and ground crews to operate effectively.
The commission did not take any emergency policy action during the meeting; staff said they would track resources and return with updates if additional operational decisions become necessary.
