This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Crews were making progress in halting the advance of the Tokewanna Fire, a 1,313-acre blaze in southwestern Wyoming border that had destroyed eight homes and burned within a mile of the Utah border by Monday.
The fire, of undetermined origin, was 24 percent contained as Monday dawned. About 500 firefighters, aided by weekend rainfall, were working to complete lines around the timber- and brush-fed flames burning about 15 miles south of Mountain View, Wyo.
"We've been making good progress," said Fire Information Officer Brett Haberstick, noting that crews had stabilized the fire's perimeter enough to allow residents of the Tokewanna Estates back inside the lines to retrieve medications and other critical items.
Those homeowners were among 140 who had been evacuated since the fire erupted last Thursday.
Monday afternoon, other homeowners were being allowed to return permanently to their homes in the Meeks Ridge and Aspen Springs subdivisions, Haberstick said.
Continuing thunderstorms, while bringing much-needed rain over the weekend, had firefighters anxious on Monday. Crews worried that potential dry lightning and gusty winds could whip the flames anew over still dry forest lands.
Visitors to the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest and other recreation and historical sites around the Tokewanna Fire area were asked to use caution when driving. The Uinta County Youth Camp and portions of County Road 271 were closed, while County Road 410 remained open on Monday.
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