The fire now covers 31,193 acres in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Nearly 900 firefighters are working to suppress the blaze.
Pat Russell is the lead operations section chief for the California Incident Management Team responding to the fire.
At a community meeting in Duchesne County Monday night, he said the western containment line near Kamas and Samak is stable.
“This fire in here hasn’t moved since we’ve been here,” he said.
And along the southeast, closer to the town of Hanna in Duchesne County, well-irrigated farmland will help prevent fire from spreading aggressively, making it easier to protect the community.
Joseph Flores, the fire management officer for Ashley National Forest, said wind from the incoming cold front could spread the fire north before rain and snow arrive Thursday.
“This kind of happens to us, where we have these cold fronts come through, lots of high fire activity, and then it kind of shuts us down when we get the snow,” he said.
Meteorologists are calling for two days of rain and snow, depending on elevation.
Flores said fire crews hope there will be enough moisture to have an impact on dry fuel. But regardless, he said the weather ahead will be “very advantageous” for firefighting efforts.
Meanwhile, firefighters are helping locals winterize their properties and gather livestock still in the closure area.
About 100 people have applied to access the area in the past couple days. Farmers and ranchers can also fill out an online form to report missing animals. Firefighters are keeping track of tags or other identifiers to help owners find their animals.
As crews continue to battle the flames, Russell said he asks locals to trust the firefighters’ decisions.
“What we’re doing is working,” he said. “It’s a time thing, though, and it takes patience, but that’s our best course for success in there.”
The Yellow Lake Fire sparked Sept. 28 in northeastern Wasatch County. It’s human-caused, but details remain under investigation.
