Logging company fined $16K for ‘Yellow Lake Fire’

KAMAS, Utah (ABC4) – The U.S. Forest Service has imposed the maximum penalty of $16,000 on the logging company it holds responsible for starting last autumn’s Yellow Lake Fire.

The penalty comes after a three-month-long investigation conducted by fire investigators with the U.S. Forest Service. The final report was released to ABC4.com through a public records request.

Logging equipment sparks wildfire (Courtesy: USFS)

At about 11 a.m. on Sept. 28, 2024, the only person on shift at the Duchesne Ridge Fuelwood Sale Site in the Uinta Mountains left for the day. Just over four hours later, dispatch received the first report of smoke in the area.

The report came in from a Division of Wildlife Resources officer who was nearby and arrived as the first official on the scene. When the officer arrived, the fire was just one acre in size and spreading to the northwest near harvesting equipment. By 6:45 p.m., the fire had spread to six acres, with flames reaching five feet.

Flames spread from wood harvesting operation in the Uinta Mountains (Courtesy: USFS)

According to the report, the fire was most likely started by friction from the logging company’s equipment.

Despite having officials on the scene early, the fire grew to 150 acres overnight. The report cites high winds as a factor.

Logging equipment believed to have sparked Utah’s largest fire of 2024 (Courtesy: USFS)

While the logging company, whose name was redacted from the final report, was fined for causing the blaze, the U.S. Forest Service listed the cause as ‘operational’ rather than ‘negligent’ due to the company being unaware of the initial fire start.

Multiple witnesses reported a ‘suspicious’ individual in their mid-to-late 30s, wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and a ballcap, who was at the scene on the day of the fire’s discovery. Others at the scene described the individual as ‘avoiding eye contact’ and being unfriendly.

It’s unclear if officials attempted to locate the individual.

The fire eventually became Utah’s largest wildfire in 2024, growing to over 33,000 acres.