Disaster team deploys to Moab for wildfire mitigation

MOAB, Utah (ABC4) — A national disaster response organization has deployed to Moab for a wildfire prevention project.

Team Rubicon, a veteran-led humanitarian organization, has come to Moab to reduce wildfire through Operation Prepare Moab. This is the seventh time since 2018 the team has done so.

According to Utah Fire Info, local, state, and federal crews will be partnering with Team Rubicon to remove seven acres of invasive vegetation that puts homes at risk of wildfires.

Utah Forestry, Fire and State Lands, Bureau of Land Management, Moab Valley Fire Department, the City of Moab, and Rim to Rim Restoration all partnered on the operation.

The Moab Fire Zone saw four large fires in 2024. Most notably, the Prairie fire, which began on Sept. 16, burned 1,581 acres.

The Moab Valley also so below-average precipitation in the Moab Fire Zone in 2024, despite a large flood event on June 21.