Fresh wildfire erupts in Buckley Draw Canyon; efforts underway to douse flames

A fresh wildfire named Buckley Draw Fire erupted on Sunday evening (Aug 17, 2025) south of Slate Canyon in the mountains on the east side of the Utah Valley. The blaze was initially reported at around 5 PM, and soon massive plumes of smoke were seen across the valley. In a post on Facebook, the Provo City government stated that it’s burning just south of Slate Canyon in Buckley Draw Canyon, and the U.S. Forest Service said it’s called the Buckley Draw Fire. It was estimated at 100-150 acres, burning on Forest Service land. As of now, no evacuation orders have been issued.

“Helicopters and airplane tankers are working the fire, as well as crews from Provo Fire, Utah County Fire and the Fire Service. Currently there are no evacuation orders. Light wind conditions are pushing the fire up the mountain. Please avoid the area to allow responders to work safely and efficiently. We’ll provide updates as conditions change,” the Facebook post stated.

The latest incident of wildfire came days after a wind-driven wildfire erupted Thursday morning (August 14, 2025) in hills along Interstate 5 in northwestern Los Angeles County, officials said, news agency AP reported. The King Fire, which broke out around 1 a.m., charred nearly a square mile (2.5 square kilometers) of tinder-dry brush in a lightly populated area about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of downtown LA.

An RV park was ordered to shelter in place, and residents of remote homes were under evacuation warnings. The blaze was 40% contained as of the evening, the Angeles National Forest reported on the social platform X. The California Highway Patrol closed some highway lanes as crews battled flames that raced along hillsides before dawn. Off- and on-ramps were closed near Smokey Bear Road, along with several surrounding roads just north of Pyramid Lake in a mountainous area known for hiking and boating.