This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Let it burn.
That is what the U.S. Forest Service has decided to do about the nearly two-week-old Solitude Wildfire, burning on central Utah's Pahvant Range in the Fishlake National Forest.
On Wednesday, USFS officials stated that the 65-acre blaze, sparked by lightning on July 19 about 10 miles northwest of Richfield, will be managed by crews to "improve habitat . . . by reducing the amount of dead fuels and [creating] openings in the mixed conifer to allow for aspen regeneration in the area."
Firefighters most recently have worked on preparing Forest Road 096, from Hans Ridge Junction north to the ridge between Newts Canyon and Strawberry Canyon, for future burning operations, as needed.
That preparation work includes cutting back brush and other potential fuels from the roadside.
On Wednesday, the blaze was characterized as slow-moving, with isolated tree torching and spot fires within sections of grass, aspen, sagebrush and timber.
No structures have been threatened, and none of the 55 firefighters monitoring the fire have been hurt.
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