New fire spark near Tibble Fork Reservoir forces road closure

LEHI, Utah (ABC4) — A new fire near Tibble Fork Reservoir in American Fork Canyon forced the closure of SR-144 near Alpine Loop early Monday morning.

Utah Department of Transportation cameras near Tibble Fork Reservoir show white smoke rising over the mountainside.

Another camera shows an emergency vehicle blocking access to American Fork Canyon Road at Alpine Loop. Due to the closure, there is no access to Tibble Fork Reservoir, UDOT confirms.

Sgt. Raymond Ormond with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said evacuations were completed for the Granite Flats Campground, the Silver Lake area, and most of the camping areas off Snake Creek Road as a safety precaution.

Dan Pendleton, a camper up near Tibble Fork Reservoir, said he received a call from a neighboring camper that the Sheriff’s Office was ordering people out of the canyon. He was able to get back to his camper and get out of the canyon in 15 minutes.

“It was just really appreciated that we could get in here and be able to get our stuff out because it’s a lot of money,” said Pendleton.

Fire crews used helicopters to tackle the fire, which reportedly sparked in a difficult-to-access area. The fire reportedly grew to about a quarter-acre in size before helicopters stopped flying. Ormond said hand crews will get to the area next and check for smoldering embers that they can put out by hand.

“Then they’ll just observe and keep an eye on the fire in the burn area to make sure it doesn’t reignite,” said Ormond.

Pendleton told ABC4 that he frequents the area every summer, and this is one of the driest years he has seen.

“When you go camping, you want a fire and all of that, but there is a time not to. And this is a time not to have fires. At all,” said Pendleton.

The cause of the fire, which Utah Fire Info dubbed the “Mill Canyon Fire”, still remains under investigation.