Social media has been swirling with rumors of large Basin fires with cases of news stories circulating that are out of date. The Uintah Basin Interagency Fire Center confirmed Friday afternoon that while there have been 2 to 5 little fires a day, there hasn’t been any of significance. Calls have been coming into the fire center asking about an evacuation due to a fire on Taylor Mountain but it was found that the rumor was the result of a circulating news story written in 2014 on the Taylor Mountain Fire. It’s no wonder citizens are on high alert with the sky hazy and smoke filled but the smoke in the air is coming from significant fires in western Colorado, not the Basin. In fact, the Peekaboo Fire located 50 miles west of Craig continues to rage and was reported on Saturday night at 12,675 acres, up from 1,800 acres on the 4th of July. The fire behavior is considered extreme with torching and uphill runs. The fire was started by lightning on Tuesday, June 27th. The estimated containment date is reported as Thursday, July 20th. The temporary flight restriction continues to be in place around the fire to allow air operations to proceed safely.
