UTAH COUNTY — Things are back to normal in Spanish Fork Canyon near Thistle after some precarious moments Monday evening due to a wildfire.
The 20-acre blaze caused the shutdown of Highway 6 for about an hour, but it happened during one of the busiest travel times of the year.
By 9:00 p.m. Monday, one lane was open in each direction.
That was a huge deal because Monday marks the end of the Labor Day weekend, and thousands of people were heading home from central and southern Utah.
Utah Highway Patrol troopers worked in conjunction with several agencies on the issue. Due to the potential of flames coming down the canyon and onto the road, Highway 6 was shut down, but only for about an hour.
Once crews set a back burn and the danger to the road lifted. Lt. Clay Morgan with UHP said the priority was getting folks moving again.
A lot of those vehicles heading west and down the canyon were hauling campers, boats, ATVs — everyone trying to squeeze the last few moments out of an end-of-summer vacation.
Wildland fire crew stopped the fire at a little over 21 acres and then spent several hours taking care of hotspots. There is still no word on what caused the blaze.
