After the Holocaust: The Brian Head Fire Aftermath

Last summer a wildfire tore through the mountains above our town. From our valley home we watched plumes of smoke billow like those of an atomic bomb. From day to day it shifted from one location to another and we always made our best guess as to “where the fire is now.”

The inferno lasted over a month, destroying nearly 72,000 acres. It was the largest fire ever recorded in southern Utah, costing $34 million to fight. The blaze forced 1,500 people from their homes, and endangered dozens of cabins and other structures.

Now, a few months later, I have been able to go on the mountain and witness first-hand the aftermath of the fire. I had a few surprises:

1. The fire didn't burn everything. I assumed that from Highway 14 to Bear Valley would be one blanket of black trees. Not so. The fire seemed to move in fingers, leaving the dead and living side-by-side. There were even varying grades of destruction, from singed needles of a pine tree to toasty burnt and fallen over.

2. Not many cabins were destroyed, at least not that I found. I only discovered one cabin that had been burnt, although there were many that had been burned all around. I commend the fire crews for making this happen.

3. The beauty. I saw patterns in the skeletons of the trees and in the contour of the now naked hillsides. The green or blazing orange contrasted the burnt black. White frost covered charred logs.

4. The animals are alive and doing well. There is just enough unburned patches that the wildlife didn't seem to mind the destruction. I saw deer and elk and birds walk across the gray ash.

From my house in the valley, it was interesting to watch the billows of smoke move from day to day.  One day the fire would appear to be near Brian Head, the next day it would move south near Mammoth Creek, then a couple days later it would shift far north toward Bear Valley.  One day it traveled eight miles overnight and jumped Highway 14 (as shown above).  

 

Another aspect that I enjoyed is that the fire revealed the true nature of the mountain. There had been places that I simply didn't go in the past because it was too choked with pine trees, dead-fall etc. Now it was as if the blanket of forest was lifted to give me a peak beneath. I saw the ground, gullies, adjacent meadows and changes in slope. It was like having x-ray vision!

I spent time driving around to look for any cabins that had burnt down.  I was impressed with the fire-fighters because I found several cabins that were left unharmed, yet surrounded by charred pine trees.  The cabin above is the only one I found that was destroyed by fire.

On a nearby stump someone has salvaged ceramic cups, plates and charred utensils. 

This picture was taken at night in a section of forest that was completely ravished.  The yellow over the road is straw that was dropped by helicopter at a later date. The straw covers and protects a grass seed that was also dropped by aircraft.  The new grass will help prevent erosion.

The fire swept through this entire valley, leaving only a few pines and some stands of quaking aspen at the far north.  All I had with me at the time was my phone, so the quality of the picture isn't so great.

The remaining pictures were taken at Yankee Meadow Reservoir.  I was drawn to this particular area because the devastation was so extensive, except for a strip of colorful trees near the shoreline that managed to stay alive.  

This plaque reads: "In memory of Karissa    11-16-83     10-16-07    RIP"

I was surprised to find the identity of Karissa.  She is Karissa Nailen of Henderson, Nevada.  Along with her parents, she was survived by two brothers and two children.  One can't help but to wonder about the significance of Yankee Meadows to this young lady. ♠