Evacuation ordered for Eureka, Mammoth, Silver City

EUREKA, Utah — Fast-moving wildfires prompted another evacuation order for Eureka on Friday night, less than one week after the town evacuated due to a different fire. 

In addition to Eureka, evacuation orders were issued for the nearby communities of Mammoth and Silver City. 

The Juab County Sheriff’s Office directed residents to head eastbound on U.S. 6 to evacuate. A shelter was being established at a meetinghouse for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Elberta. 

According to the sheriff’s office, fire activity forced several road closures, including U.S. 6 west of Eureka in Juab County and S.R. 36 south of Vernon in Tooele County. 

Evacuation in Eureka is second in a week 

Fire officials believe a fire started by lightning on Thursday, the Maple Peak Fire on Maple Mountain, merged with the Cherry Fire, near Weiss Highway and Cherry Creek, on Friday. Gusty winds whipped the flames quickly on a day when high heat and low humidity had already combined to create extreme risk of wildfire. By Friday night, the combined fire covered more than 12,000 acres. The newly-renamed Cherry Fire was burning slightly south of the Iron Fire, which forced Eureka residents to evacuate last Saturday. It is now estimated at 40,000 acres. 

The evacuation of Eureka, Mammoth and Silver City indicated a fast changing situation; officials evacuated the areas around Vernon Reservoir and Lofgreen earlier on Friday, referring residents who needed shelter to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Main Street in Vernon. 

More than a dozen new fires have started in the last 24 hours in Utah, according to Utah Fire Info as of 9 p.m. Friday. 

Fire officials said power had been shut off to Eureka Friday night. 

Friday fires keep crews busy 

The Cherry Fire was one of several creating challenges for firefighters across the state on Friday. The Wild Goose Fire burned around 400 acres near Holden. Several smaller fires required quick responses. Crews also continued to fight the nation’s largest fire, the Cottonwood Fire, burning in Beaver and Piute Counties.

So far in 2026, Utah Fire Info reports at least 378 wildfires started in Utah, for a total of 168,527 acres and counting. Of the fires, 273 were human-caused, making up nearly 73,000 acres of the total. 

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