VERNAL — Residents here were ordered to evacuate their homes for several hours after a wildfire broke out Friday.
The wildfire started burning near the Red Cloud Loop, a mountain trail in the Uinta Mountains, about 3 p.m. Residents of homes, farms, ranches and cabins located along the Dry Fork Settlement Road and Red Cloud Loop were ordered to leave the area, said Kelsey Birchell, public information officer for the Bureau of Land Management fire division in Vernal.
Cole Mixon, a boy who lives in the area with his family, said, "We looked over here, and we saw giant smoke coming up. And we said, 'That's pretty close to our house.'"
About 4:30 p.m., Utah fire authorities said on Twitter the blaze was estimated to cover about 20 acres, but "containment efforts are going well." The size of the fire was downgraded from an initial estimate of 60 acres.
"Normally, without the wind we would have a half-acre fire, but with winds pushing it we had 20 to 30 mph winds," said Jeremy Raymond, a fire inspector for the Uintah Fire District.
"Our crews immediately went up and started evacuating people," Raymond said.
Friday night, the fire was about 30 percent contained and people were allowed to return to their homes about 7 p.m., fire officials said.
The area is also popular with campers, hikers and mountain bikers, Birchell said.
As firefighters worked Friday, a meeting was already scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Remember the Maine Park in Vernal, 4250 N. 3500 West, to discuss the Pine Ridge Fire, which began burning Saturday.
"We will be discussing the Pine Ridge Fire activity and sharing current information on the fire. We will have fire prevention tips and advice for getting your private property fire-wise," Utah fire officials said on Twitter.
Contributing: Ashley Kewish