Fire leads to new road, trail closures

PRICE — Growth in the lightning-caused Lake Fork fire led to additional road and trail closures in Manti-LaSal National Forest on Wednesday.

The fire has grown to more than 1,500 acres and is heading east, officials said. In an effort to ensure safety, they are closing the Dry Creek Road and Dry Creek Trail. The Ives Canyon Trail and Ives Canyon Road were closed July 20 and still remain closed.

Manti-LaSal National Forest spokeswoman Beth McClanahan said the roads and trails that were closed are fairly remote and are mostly only used in hunting season.

"It's not a common area," McClanahan said. "In fact, most people probably don't use them."

She said the fire was heading toward a subdivision, but is moving away from that area. They do not believe there is any real threat to structures or individuals. The major concern at this point is the winds that fuel the fire's growth.

"It's not growing super quick, but what happens there is that we get erratic winds and they've picked up quite a bit," McClanahan said.

The fire has doubled in size in the past week, growing from 600 acres to 1,524 acres, but is still being managed for resource benefit. These fires are managed by firefighters and are monitored so that the fires can safely burn and "play its natural role on the landscape," McClanahan said.

— Emiley Morgan