UPDATE: Evacuation orders again modified after Parleys Canyon Fire

PARK CITY, Utah — The Summit County Sheriff’s Office has again modified the evacuation orders put into place during the height of the Parleys Canyon Fire.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the Summit County Sheriff tweeted that evacuations for the entire Pinebrook area will be lifted by 8 p.m. Tuesday night. 

BREAKING FIRE EVACUATION UPDATE 🔥 – #ParleysCanyonFire evacuations will be lifted for ALL of PINEBROOK beginning at 8pm tonight. Evacuation orders will remain in place for Summit Park and Timberline. We will keep you updated as more information is received. pic.twitter.com/1tSX3ed6YA

— Sheriff Justin (@SummitCountySO) August 17, 2021

The Parleys Canyon Fire has burned 541 acres and late Monday afternoon was 21% contained.

Previous announcement on evacuation order

On Monday the Summit County Sheriff’s Office tweeted an initial change to the evacuation orders in the area of the Parleys Canyon Fire.

Via Twitter, the Sheriff’s Office said that those in the Lower Pinebrook area of the fire are free to return to their homes. This includes the area circled in yellow on the accompanying map.

#ParleysCanyonFire evacuation update. pic.twitter.com/LYKfpnPfkL

— Sheriff Justin (@SummitCountySO) August 16, 2021

One evacuee, who wanted to stay anonymous, was camping out of state when the fire broke out.  He tells KSL friends and neighbors called him to ask him if he was all right, which is when he realized his home might be in danger.

He said, “We were going to be driving home in two days, but we heard about the fire.  Neighbors had called us and we realized it was in a potentially dangerous spot for us.”

Luckily for him, he has a large Winnebago that he and his wife live in for half of the year.  They packed up some supplies and spent the next night in the parking lot of Park City High School, where the Red Cross set up and evacuation shelter.

“We actually were still able to go up there and get a couple things from the house,” he said.

He lives in Upper Pinebrook, and evacuations there remain in place through August 17 at 8 p.m.,  while the Summit Park and Timberline evacuations will also remain in place through August 18.

The modification is due in part to a red flag weather warning for areas of Summit County which coincide with the area of the fire.  Great Basin Team Four Spokesperson Jesse Bender says a cold front in the forecast has them very concerned.

She said, “It’s always possible, with a cold front like this, that we could get really gusty outflow winds from the storm.”

As of Monday afternoon, the fire had only been 10 percent contained, however, the acreage was much smaller than previously thought.  Over the weekend, Bender says they estimated it had burned over a thousand acres, but crews were able to get a more accurate map of the fire by Monday.  By then, crews estimated it burned only 539 acres, but that doesn’t mean the danger had gone away.

“One of our concerns is always letting people in too soon, then having to re-evacuate them too quickly, afterwards,” Bender said.

 PREVIOUS REPORTING:

PARK CITY, Utah — The Parleys Canyon Fire is continuing to burn on Monday. The fire has burned hundreds of acres and is 10 percent contained. Thousands of people were evacuated in Summit Park, Timberline and Pinebrook. 

 

Crews on #ParleysCanyonFire made great progress today. Fire is now 10% contained. Moderate fire behavior was observed today, and aircraft supported firefighters throughout the day. An infrared flight has been requested overnight to map today’s new acreage.

PC Scott Winterton pic.twitter.com/mIIOqZj82Q

— Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) August 16, 2021

Park City firefighter Zane Thompson said the fire was likely human-caused and started by a hot piece of a car’s catalytic converter. Officials initially estimated the fire to be about two to three thousand acres.  The wildfire in Summit County has since been mapped at just over 600 acres on Sunday. 

There are hundreds of firefighters on the ground and in the air. Jordanelle State Park will be closed on Monday. Crews are using the water in the reservoir to help battle the fire. 

Authorities say no structures have been lost, but evacuations are still in place. However, one concern for firefighters right now is the current wind.

Parleys Canyon Fire much smaller than originally thought

This story will continue to be updated.