When a July 12 “fire tornado” from the Deer Creek Fire swept through Hangdog Canyon near Old La Sal, it destroyed River Canyon Wireless’s transmission tower — a primary internet source for residents who rely on Wi-Fi calling because there is no cell service.
Although evacuation orders were in effect, the outage left many without the ability to send or receive communications during an active wildfire that had started two days earlier, limiting access to alerts, fire updates and coordination with neighbors.
In much of northern San Juan County, calling 911 often requires Wi-Fi or a drive to find a cell signal. Old La Sal resident Marjorie Haun-Storland told the Grand County Commission on Aug. 5 that the fire “provides a stark scenario of how dangerous it can be for people to be without reliable means of communication.”
“Frantic family members who saw the mushroom cloud created by the fire tornado could not reach their loved ones,” she said. “Residents without communication, many who are longtime residents, are elderly and have limited mobility, were unable to receive evacuation orders or updates about the fire activity.”
Those dependent on the destroyed tower had to travel to La Sal — where another RCW tower operates — or find a rare spot of cell coverage to place calls, though a handful of residents have fiber optic or satellite internet. Service in Old La Sal was restored on about July 23.
As of Aug. 8, the Deer Creek Fire has burned nearly 18,000 acres and is 97% contained, according to Utah Fire Info. The July 12 wind event that destroyed the RCW tower also damaged homes and other infrastructure in the Hangdog Canyon area.
The outage prompted county commissioners to revise their earlier letter of support for a proposed communications tower on Black Ridge, near La Sal Junction in northern San Juan County — this time explicitly advocating for the 250-foot height originally proposed by the Bureau of Land Management. Commissioners had supported the project in May but declined to endorse a specific tower height, citing deference to San Juan County and potential lighting and wildlife concerns.
(Bureau of Land Management) The Bureau of Land Management map illustrates the proposed communications tower roughly 10 miles south of Moab.
In the unanimously approved Aug. 5 letter, the commission described the Deer Creek Fire outage as a clear example of the dangers posed by limited communications. “These communication gaps pose serious risks to the health, safety, and well-being of both residents and visitors, particularly along heavily traveled corridors and in adjacent backcountry areas,” the letter states.
The proposed 250-foot steel lattice tower, submitted by The Towers LLC on behalf of Verizon Wireless, would be built about 10 miles south of Moab. According to the BLM, the structure would improve voice and data service along Highway 191 and Highway 46, where coverage is patchy or nonexistent, and could also improve service in parts of Spanish Valley.
La Sal-area firefighters told commissioners the July outage was another example of how dangerous the lack of reliable communications can be. Sarah Liabee of the volunteer La Sal Fire Department said that in a past survey of 34 homes, “every single one of them could not call 911” on a mobile phone without moving around their property to find a signal, and that even landlines sometimes required multiple attempts before a call would go through.
“We’ve lost quite a few La Sal residents due to this, because they can’t get out to 911 and when they finally do, it’s too late,” she said.
TC Garcia, also with the volunteer fire department, said there have been “multiple times where folks … have not been able to get a hold of the emergency medical services and the fire department when they have needed to.” During the Deer Creek Fire, Garcia added, firefighters “lost communications with our dispatch” for more than an hour.
Volunteer firefighter Shelby Rutter recalled a widespread power outage months ago that left crews unable to reach each other or the sheriff’s office without physically driving to make contact.
“When something happens in those instances, like my grandma… she can’t get hold of anybody because phones are down,” Rutter said. “That’s kind of why the tower is super important to reach out to La Sal and Old La Sal, because all of our friends and family need that to be safe.”
Grand County EMS Executive Director Andy Smith said his agency covers the La Sal Junction area under an agreement with San Juan County and that the lack of cell service is a major problem for residents trying to reach 911.
“If you’re out there without cell service and something happens – an accident injury, a heart attack, a medical event – not being able to call 911 and having to leave and drive somewhere to get cell service is impossible if you’re on your own, and scary if it’s your partner who has to go drive and call 911,” he said.
While EMS crews usually communicate by radio, Smith said the system is not immune to outages — and if it goes down, they must rely on cell phones, which may not work in the area.
The BLM is currently reviewing the Black Ridge tower proposal, including both 250-foot and 150-foot alternatives. A draft Environmental Assessment is expected this month, with public comment set to open Aug. 15, available through the agency’s ePlanning website. A final decision is anticipated in November.
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