Riggs Fire and Lonely Fire merge, continue to grow
By Mike Johnson
Both the Riggs Fire and the Lonely Fire increased in size Sept. 16. On Sept. 15, the two fires joined together, but they are still being treated as two fires. The Lonely Fire spread to the east in the Bull Valley drainage and to the north in Black Birch Canyon while the Riggs Fire spread slightly to the south. These two fires are burning on lands administered by the Dixie National Forest, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Kanab Field Office BLM.
Mopup operations continued in the Rainbow Point area where firefighters continued searching for hotspots along the Bristlecone Loop trail and further in to the recently burned area. As they worked in the area, firefighters also worked to remove any dangerous standing dead trees in an effort to make the area safer to work in and for the public to visit when reopened. Fire personnel are still working in the Rainbow Point area.
Firefighters worked again in the Willis Creek area Sunday, continuing with structure protection assessments and improving the firebreaks around those structures. On Sunday, crews moved sprinklers and water handling equipment from Rainbow Point to the area and began setting up the system.
An overnight infrared mapping flight was not able to be completed because mechanical issues with the aircraft. Incident helicopters were also not able to fly in the vicinity of the fires again Sept. 16.
Bryce Canyon National Park remains open to visitors. Due to firefighting operations occurring in the Rainbow Point area, the main park road in Bryce Canyon National Park is closed at Farview Point overlook from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. During the daytime hours, the road will be open an additional 2 miles to Natural Bridge Overlook.
All visitor facilities, services, and businesses in surrounding communities are not impacted by the fire and remain open.
There are three trail closures currently in place. Within the Dixie National Forest, the Grandview Trail (066) from the Willis Creek junction to Lower Podunk is closed. In Bryce Canyon National Park, the Riggs Spring Loop Trail is closed, including the connector trail from Riggs Springs to the Grandview Trail. The Under-the-Rim Trail is also closed from Agua Canyon to Rainbow Point. These trails are temporarily closed for the safety and welfare of the public.
A community meeting has been scheduled for Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. at the Bryce Valley High School Auditorium, located 721 West Bryce Way in Tropic. Fire managers from the Riggs Fire and the Lonely Fire will provide an update.
For more information on fires in Utah, visit utahfireinfo.gov.
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