Making progress: Broad Fire sees greater containment after favorable conditions set in
Broad Fire sees greater containment after favorable conditions set in
-
- As of Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, the Broad Fire had consumed an estimated 134 acres in Weber Canyon, the majority of it on the north side of I-84.
-
- Airborne firefighting operations continued against the Broad Fire on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026.
-
- Smoke continues to rise from a hot spot on the Broad Fire in Weber Canyon on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026.
-
- A BAe 146 air tanker drops fire retardant on the Broad Fire in Weber Canyon on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. Several airborne assets were used to fight the fire, most of which occurred on steep terrain. (Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner)
-
- Smoke from the Broad Fire rises out of Weber Canyon on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner)
-
- Flames rise up from the Broad Fire on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner)
-
- A firefighting helicopter carries water towards the Broad Fire in Weber Canyon on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner)
-
- Firefighters replenish water as they fight the Broad Fire in Weber Canyon on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner)
-
- Smoke from the Broad Fire rises out of Weber Canyon on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner)
-
- The Broad Fire continues to burn in Weber Canyon on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. By late-afternoon Saturday, the fire had reached an estimated size of 30 acres. (Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner)
-
- A firefighting helicopter drops water on the Broad Fire in Weber Canyon on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner)
-
- A BAe 146 air tanker drops fire retardant on the Broad Fire in Weber Canyon on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner)
-
- A Utah Department of Transportation camera captures the early stages of the Broad Fire in Weber Canyon on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Image supplied, Utah Department of Transportation
WEBER CANYON — A dramatic Labor Day weekend played out at the mouth of the Weber Canyon near Uintah and South Weber as a wildfire ravaged 134 acres and led to one indirect fatality.
U.S. Forest Service Public Information Officer Sierra Hellstrom told the Standard-Examiner Monday morning that the Broad Fire was holding at 134 acres, meaning no growth had occurred since the Sunday morning update with a 50% containment rate.
“We didn’t see any growth yesterday, and when they did a flight, most of the perimeter actually looks really good and fairly cool,” she said. “We’re seeing the most heat up on that north side, on the top of the mountain, which is just really difficult terrain to get to. We’ve got crews inserted again today, and they are working the north and the east side where we’re seeing the most heat. They’re being supported by aviation resources as needed, and it’s probably just going to continue to be that status for today and tomorrow, and we’ll see how much progress we make through today’s shift.
The Broad Fire was first reported around around 12:40 p.m. on Saturday on the south side of Interstate 84. The fire then jumped the highway and began burning up the north canyon wall. I-84 was completely closed for several hours while crews from several local, state and federal entities implemented an attack on the fire from both ground and airborne resources. Fire crews were able to largely contain the south side of the fire by Saturday evening, but needed much of the day Sunday to implement a substantial perimeter that the fire couldn’t cross. A storm system brought in cloud cover and higher humidity which helped significantly in fighting the fire.
Hellstrom said a cause remains under investigation as of midday Monday.
She added that damages have been relegated to Rocky Mountain Power transmission lines — which received minimal damage — and a few ties on the Union Pacific Railroad’s mainline through Weber Canyon. Rail traffic was able to begin transiting the canyon again Saturday night.
With the fire largely coming under control, Hellstrom said the biggest concerns now revolve around the terrain firefighters are having to deal with.
“The lingering concerns are obviously just putting firefighters up incredibly steep terrain and making sure that they’re in and out safely,” she said. “We’ve got a Type-1 helicopter that can carry more people and we have been shuttling them via helicopter up to the top rather than having them hike, which minimizes that a little bit.”
Hellstrom said that no injuries have been reported as a direct result of the fire, but noted on Saturday that several traffic accidents had happened as a result of distracted driving around the fire.
“We’ve actually had some car accidents with people not paying attention coming into the area, and that’s caused a few accidents,” she said Saturday. “So we’re having secondary issues with car accidents because of it.”
One fatal crash was reported among traffic caused by the fire on I-84.
Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Kate Van Roosendaal told the Standard-Examiner Sunday that a motorcyclist was killed in a four-vehicle crash near milepost 98 on I-84 around 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
She said the accident remains under investigation and that the motorcyclist has not been identified at this time.
Hellstrom said distracted driving remained a major issue in the fire area on Sunday and that drivers need to maintain patience.
“I actually almost had a truck pulling some vehicles on a trailer run into the back of me driving slow through the slower traffic going up the canyon,” she said. “Traffic is going slower moving through there because there’s a lot of vehicles, there’s a lot of fire equipment, there’s a lot of crews. … We’re asking the public to pay attention as you come into that area and just be prepared to slow down, be prepared to merge and just use all sorts of caution.”
As of Monday, the westbound lanes of I-84 are down to a single lane while both eastbound lanes are open to traffic.
Additionally, she said there were issues early on with members of the public getting too close to the fire.
“We’re seeing members of the public hiking and riding their dirt bikes up into the fire over here on the Uintah side, and it’s been extremely scary,” she said Saturday. “We’re having to divert crews to get people out of the fire area, so we’re asking the public to please stay out of the area.”
Hellstrom said there hadn’t been any incursions reported throughout the day on Sunday.
As for the next 24 hours, she said that crews will continue to work on hot spots.
“Throughout today’s shift, crews will stay inserted, and they’re going to work that eastern perimeter and hopefully gain some containment on the east side today,” she said. “And then, 24 hours, tomorrow’s shift, we’ll be working mostly on that northern perimeter to finalize containment.”
In a bit of good news, Hellstrom said that the threat of landslides which can follow a major mountainside fire are lower due to the nature of the Broad Fire.
“We didn’t see the burn scar as hot as we have seen on some of the other fires,” she said. “And there’s still quite a bit of vegetation still on the which really helps. We don’t anticipate this actually being a big area of erosion concern just because it didn’t burn as hot or as much of the vegetation as we saw on some of the other fires.”
She said that crews will likely be working on bringing the Broad Fire to a conclusion for days to come.
“I would anticipate through at least tomorrow’s shift — probably at the earliest through the end of Tuesday — having the whole team and crews on scene,” she said. “Then we’ll be fairly close to containment, I would guess, around then. After we get that close to containment, we will keep at least one crew or engine working on this for the next couple of weeks to put out any hot spots and just keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t spark up and start another fire.”
Hellstrom said it’s still important for the public to avoid the area and not use drones in the vicinity of the fire.
Local News
New Weber State president discusses embrace of technology, new degree structures on campus
Making progress: Broad Fire sees greater containment after favorable conditions set in