Many of the estimated 6,000 to 8,000 residents affected by the Parleys Canyon Fire will need to remain evacuated until Wednesday or Thursday, fire officials said.
Those who live in Upper Pinebrook will remain evacuated through Wednesday at 8 p.m.; and Summit Park and Timberline residents need to stay out of their homes through Thursday at 8 p.m. Those evacuations were extended due to a red flag weather warning, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office said.
Lower Pinebrook residents can return to their homes Monday afternoon, officials said.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience while our brave firefighters continue to get full containment of the fire,” the office said on social media.
The timing of the evacuations will continue to be evaluated based on weather and fire behavior.
Though fire crews have yet to control the Parleys Canyon Fire, it showed little growth Sunday despite “gusty winds” through the afternoon, fire officials said.
The fire is now mapped at 539 acres and remains 10% contained, according to the Great Basin team that took control of the fire Monday.
Crews have kept the blaze from advancing past its original perimeter or moving closer to neighborhoods, said Summit County Sheriff’s Lt. Andrew Wright.
“We’ve been lucky with this one to not have any residents’ homes or structures affected by it,” he said.
Crews initially said Saturday the fire had grown to 2,500-3,000 acres, then said on Sunday that it was closer to 1,500 acres. Crews were able to map the fire area more accurately on Sunday morning and found that the blaze had covered about 600 acres.
The fire along I-80 was ignited Saturday afternoon by hot particles thrown from a vehicle’s poorly working catalytic converter. Four smaller fires were ignited, which then quickly grew.
“The highest priority on the fire is the safety of the public and firefighters. Other priorities include protecting the municipal watershed. Closures and evacuations will be continually evaluated to reduce or lift when it is safe to do so,” fire officials said in a statement.
The fire crew is working from a camp at the Park City Ice Arena, and drivers are urged to be cautious when traveling through the area, especially during morning and evening rush hours. Crews are evaluating travel restrictions on I-80, where eastbound traffic is restricted to the left two lanes.
Helicopters, air tankers and water scoopers are dropping water and fire retardant on active portions of the fire, while crews construct fire lines on the ground. Two Utah National Guard helicopters will help fight the blaze Monday, officials said.
Jordanelle Reservoir will remain closed while water scoopers use it. The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest is also enacting an area closure that will include Mill Creek and Winter Canyon.
Fire officials warned residents of heavy smoke throughout the region on Monday, which is “acting somewhat like cloud cover to lower temperatures slightly.”
Tuesday could bring rain as a storm system enters the area, fire officials said, which could lead to runoff in fire-burned areas.