U.S. Forest Service Fire Ecologist Brian Trick said that’s what fire crews expected, “What that means is that there's utter confidence that in that section the fire should not jump that line.”
Trick said the containment percentage can go up or down depending on how much the fire grows.
“You can see that number go down because it's a percentage of the total line,” he said. “So if the fire has another big day and it grows 1000 acres, that 70% will go down, given that it's a percentage.”
Fire officials said a lot goes into deciding where to begin creating a line of containment, and not rushing head-first into the blaze.
As local fire crews continue to fight the human-caused fire, Trick said minor fire activity could persist into the winter months.
“Fire is fascinating in that it could be buried under snow, and to a degree, that snow becomes an insulator,” he said. “So underneath that snow, the duff or a root could still be burning. You can burn all through the winter, and then when it's even, when it's thaws and is wet and rains, it could still burn.”
He said firefighters are now focused on containing the final 30% of the fire to make sure flames don’t get stuck under the snow.
Crews are also working to repair roads and trails damaged by the blaze.
The Yellow Lake Fire sparked on Sept. 28 in the western Uinta Mountains in Wasatch County and has burned over 33,000 acres.
