The Juab County Sheriff’s Office has ordered an immediate evacuation for Silver City, Eureka, and Mammoth, Utah on June 27, Saturday. This came as the Maple Peak and Cherry Fires merged. At the time of writing, Watchduty reported the fire to have burned 12,316 acres.
Scary videos of the fire emerged even as reports indicated that evacuation orders remained in place for Tooele County.
“Several wildfires started burning Friday evening across central Utah as the Maple Peak Fire merged with the Cherry Fire, with the combined 12,000-15,000 acres now being called the Cherry Fire. This is video of an evacuation from Lofgreen,” an independent journalist wrote.
They added, “According to officials, significant fire activity was visible from U.S. Highway 6 in Juab County as crews battled multiple fires, including the Iron Fire near Eureka, the Highway 36 Fire near Tintic Junction on State Route 36, the Maple Peak Fire west of the U.S. 6 rest area, and the Cherry Fire in the Weiss and Cherry Creek area. Officials ordered evacuations around Vernon Reservoir and Lofgreen as the Maple Peak Fire spread. Tooele County deputies and Search and Rescue personnel assisted with evacuations, and displaced residents were directed to a shelter at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Vernon.”
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A local reporter for KUTV also shared a map of the areas impacted along with visuals and wrote “Mandatory evacuations have now been ordered for Eureka, Mammoth, and Silver City as the rapidly spreading Cherry and Iron Fires threaten the area. Officials are urging everyone to leave immediately if you’re in an evacuation zone. The Maple Peak Fire has also merged into the Cherry Fire, creating an even larger and more dangerous wildfire.”
“With fires exploding across the state today, Utah County has now declared a State of Emergency, saying wildfires are “ravaging our state.” This has turned into one of the most dangerous fire weather days Utah has seen in years. Extreme winds, single-digit humidity, and dry fuels have allowed several fires to grow rapidly in just a matter of hours,” they added.
The reporter further said “If you live anywhere near these fires, stay alert, have multiple ways to receive emergency alerts, and be prepared to leave if officials tell you to.”
Cherry Fire: Scary videos from Juab County
A video showed a massive plume of smoke rising to the sky. The person recording the video could be heard saying they’d been evacuated, calling the current fire a ‘monster’.
Photos from a camera footage showed fire on both sides of the road.
“SR-36 IS CLOSED from Mile Marker 1 to Mile Marker 20. Please stay out of the area and do not attempt to drive around road closures. Fire crews need every inch of these roads open to move engines, bulldozers, water tenders, and emergency equipment,” they wrote.
