Evacuation order is lifted

The Sanpete County Sheriff's Office allowed people to return to their homes in a mountain area southeast of Nephi Thursday morning.

The homes and summer cabins in the subdivisions of Mt. Baldy Estates, Indian Ridge, Elk Ridge and Oaker Hills have been under evacuation orders since Sunday night, when winds shifted and blew the Salt Creek wildfire toward them. The residences are near the tiny town of Indianola.

The winds have since eased and changed direction, and rain has started falling on the 23,644-acre blaze. By late Thursday it was 35 percent contained.

"There was no damage to these previously evacuated areas," Sanpete County Sheriff's Lt. Robert Braithwaite said Thursday.

In all, two mobile homes were destroyed in the Holiday Oaks subdivision in Nephi Canyon. Three buildings in the Camperworld campground were destroyed including a rental cabin, a campground office and a laundry/game room. A dozen camper trailers, motor homes and storage sheds were also burned.

Beloved, historic campsites in the area were saved, as were several homes and hay fields.

Fire officials said the Salt Creek fire is not expected to grow significantly unless dry weather returns to the area. Humidity is expected to decrease slowly and reach the teens by Sunday.

Crews today will continue to build fire lines and will seek and extinguish any remaining hot spots.

Several roads remain closed to the public in the area, including Big Hollow Road and Water Hollow Road. Portions of the Uinta National Forest and the Manti-LaSal National Forest also remain closed because of the fire.

Elsewhere in the state, wildland fire crews are making significant progress.

The Sleepy Hollow fire near Hyrum was 100 percent contained Thursday night at more than 890 acres. Homes along Hollow Road in Nibley and state Route 101 in Hyrum were threatened by the lightning-caused blaze, but are now safe.

Cache County Fire Chief Gary Roberts said he plans on releasing all the fire crews by this morning. He plans to send firefighters back to the area of the fire at one-hour intervals over the next week or so to make sure the blaze doesn't spread beyond containment lines.

Thanks to heavy rains, fire crews have managed to contain the Locomotive Springs fire, which has burned 2,000 acres in Box Elder County near the Great Salt Lake. The rains also helped firefighters get containment on the 1,100-acre Hansel Flats fire, burning in the same area.

For crews battling the 153,970-acre Winecup Complex fire on the Utah-Nevada border, the rain has helped them reach 65-percent containment. However, it has also made it hard to fight the fire.