Monroe Canyon Fire crosses 3,900 acres, threatens communications towers

MONROE, Utah (ABC4) — The Monroe Fire that started on Sunday afternoon has now crossed 3,900 acres and is at 0% containment, according to the U.S. Forest Service- Fishlake National Forest.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Manning Meadows, Monroe Meadows, and Magleby are under evacuation orders. Firefighters say they are prioritizing structure protection in those areas. As of Sunday, 40 to 50 structures in the area are threatened, according to the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office.

The fire is burning in remote areas of steep, rugged inaccessible terrain and near mountain valley meadows. About 189 personnel are currently battling the fire.

Monroe Canyon Road is closed at the moment. Additionally, Utah Fire Info announced an area closure along most of the Monroe Canyon Forest Boundary starting Tuesday. Officials have warned of additional road closures in the area, depending on fire activity.

Additional Monroe Canyon road closures. Courtesy: Utah Fire Info

Tina Mathieu, the executive Director of the Utah Communications Authority, has told ABC4.com that there is critical communications infrastructure on Monroe Peak, above where the fire is burning. Currently, the site is not actively threatened, but there is concern that the fire will move towards it.

The infrastructure site, which includes radios and emergency fuel supplies, manages communications for first responders in three counties. There are also reportedly amateur radio repeaters that are important to rural communications.

Aircraft have laid down fire retardant near the infrastructure sites, and the areas are maintained regularly, hopefully reducing potential fire risk.

Officials say the fire burned actively throughout the night, with most of the activity occurring on the southern portion of the fire.

Fire management teams are currently focusing on structure protection, according to Kaylee Stott, with the Bureau of Land Management. Unfortunately, due to the numerous fires burning across the state, crews are reportedly stretched thin.

Stott says, “That can be stressful to know that we’re limited on resources…it’s very limited on what’s available with how many catastrophic fires are going on right now.”

The Central Utah Type 3 Incident Management Team took command of the fire on Monday morning. The team says their current plan is to gather situational awareness and area familiarization and take command of the fire Wednesday morning. They will be meeting at 7 p.m. today to discuss their plan of action.

Various other resources have been ordered and are enroute, officials said. They are also asking people to avoid the area and stay clear of high-risk zones to provide safety for the firefighters.

Breanne Liston, with the Central Utah Type 3 Team, encourages residents to do what they can to prepare their property, before the fire gets too close. Individuals should clear out anything that could be flammable, especially shrubbery or trees that touch their homes.

Additionally, she encourages residents to listen to their guts, saying “You don’t always have to wait for somebody to come up and tell you to leave, take action and get out of there.”

ABC4 has a crew on route and this article will be updated when more information is available.