Fast-moving blaze in southwest Utah destroys a dozen structures and forces evacuations
PINE VALLEY, Utah (AP) — A fast-moving fire fueled by high winds on Friday has destroyed a dozen structures, including homes, and forced some in a rural area of southwest Utah to evacuate.
The Forsyth Fire started Thursday in the Pine Valley Mountains and has already burned about 2.3 square miles (5.96 square kilometers), said Karl Hunt, a spokesperson for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands. It has forced people to evacuate from the Pine Valley Community and nearby campgrounds, although the number of people who have fled was not immediately clear.
The blaze, which is about 15 miles (24.1 kilometers) northeast of St. George and includes steep, mountainous terrain, has also threatened 400 structures.
By Friday evening, the fire remained uncontained despite 150 people battling the blaze, including two hotshot crews from Utah and Nevada, according to Hunt. Teams were using helicopters, more than a dozen engines and water tenders.
The cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation, Hunt said.
He urged the public to stay away, saying: 'Let the firefighters do what they do best and try to get this fire under control.'
There has been a red flag warning in the area since Thursday because of high wind gusts, low humidity and high temperatures.
Hunt said the blaze came fairly early in the year, following a drought declaration by Utah's governor.
'So the fuel is drier this year as well. And so if you combine the drier fuel with the high winds and it's ripe for a wildfire,' he said. 'Kind of like the perfect storm.'
There have been no injuries or deaths, according to Hunt.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on the social media site X that they are closely monitoring the fire and urged the public to follow local officials' instructions.
'If you're in the area, please evacuate immediately," he said. 'First responders are doing heroic work, but they need your cooperation to save lives.'
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Fast-moving blaze in southwest Utah destroys a dozen structures and forces evacuations
PINE VALLEY, Utah -- A fast-moving fire fueled by high winds on Friday has destroyed a dozen structures, including homes, and forced some in a rural area of southwest Utah to evacuate. The Forsyth Fire started Thursday in the Pine Valley Mountains and has already burned about 2.3 square miles (5.96 square kilometers), said Karl Hunt, a spokesperson for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands. It has forced people to evacuate from the Pine Valley Community and nearby campgrounds, although the number of people who have fled was not immediately clear. The blaze, which is about 15 miles (24.1 kilometers) northeast of St. George and includes steep, mountainous terrain, has also threatened 400 structures. By Friday evening, the fire remained uncontained despite 150 people battling the blaze, including two hotshot crews from Utah and Nevada, according to Hunt. Teams were using helicopters, more than a dozen engines and water tenders. The cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation, Hunt said. He urged the public to stay away, saying: 'Let the firefighters do what they do best and try to get this fire under control.' There has been a red flag warning in the area since Thursday because of high wind gusts, low humidity and high temperatures. Hunt said the blaze came fairly early in the year, following a drought declaration by Utah's governor. 'So the fuel is drier this year as well. And so if you combine the drier fuel with the high winds and it's ripe for a wildfire,' he said. 'Kind of like the perfect storm.' There have been no injuries or deaths, according to Hunt. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on the social media site X that they are closely monitoring the fire and urged the public to follow local officials' instructions. 'If you're in the area, please evacuate immediately," he said. 'First responders are doing heroic work, but they need your cooperation to save lives.'
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Southern Utah fire destroys 12 homes; hundreds remain evacuated
PINE VALLEY, Washington County — A fast-growing wildfire burning near Pine Valley has now destroyed at least a dozen structures, while hundreds more remain threatened. Firefighters said all 12 structures in the Forsyth Fire were primary or secondary homes. The Washington County Sheriff's Office is recommending that anyone who has not yet evacuated the Pine Valley area leave as soon as possible, as crews continue to battle a wildfire that has grown due to strong winds and other 'critical' fire weather conditions. 'If you have family up in Pine Valley, please tell them to evacuate,' the agency said in a post to Facebook Friday afternoon. About 400 to 500 people were evacuated from Pine Valley, as well as the Pine Valley Campground, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Jenny Plecki said in an earlier update. She estimated that 450 homes were evacuated, half of which were occupied by full-time residents. 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Communities like Dixie, Enterprise Valley, Cedar City, Milford, Panguitch, Richfield and Santaquin are mentioned in the advisory. Rocky Mountain Power officials say the outages are most likely to take place in those areas between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday. 'Community safety and reducing wildfire risk are our top priorities,' said Pete Singh, the company's incident commander, in a statement. 'We take the decision to turn off power very seriously. Public Safety Power Shutoffs will be targeted, precise and guided by real-time data from conditions on the ground.' While the U.S. Drought Monitor no longer lists any part of Utah in extreme drought for the first time in months, all parts of the state are now listed as 'abnormally dry' or in some level of drought, highlighting the potential fire danger. Contributing: Alex Cabrero
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Fast-moving blaze in southwest Utah destroys a dozen structures and forces evacuations
PINE VALLEY, Utah (AP) — A fast-moving fire fueled by high winds on Friday has destroyed a dozen structures, including homes, and forced some in a rural area of southwest Utah to evacuate. The Forsyth Fire started Thursday in the Pine Valley Mountains and has already burned about 2.3 square miles (5.96 square kilometers), said Karl Hunt, a spokesperson for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands. It has forced people to evacuate from the Pine Valley Community and nearby campgrounds, although the number of people who have fled was not immediately clear. The blaze, which is about 15 miles (24.1 kilometers) northeast of St. George and includes steep, mountainous terrain, has also threatened 400 structures. By Friday evening, the fire remained uncontained despite 150 people battling the blaze, including two hotshot crews from Utah and Nevada, according to Hunt. Teams were using helicopters, more than a dozen engines and water tenders. The cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation, Hunt said. He urged the public to stay away, saying: 'Let the firefighters do what they do best and try to get this fire under control.' There has been a red flag warning in the area since Thursday because of high wind gusts, low humidity and high temperatures. Hunt said the blaze came fairly early in the year, following a drought declaration by Utah's governor. 'So the fuel is drier this year as well. And so if you combine the drier fuel with the high winds and it's ripe for a wildfire,' he said. 'Kind of like the perfect storm.' There have been no injuries or deaths, according to Hunt. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on the social media site X that they are closely monitoring the fire and urged the public to follow local officials' instructions. 'If you're in the area, please evacuate immediately," he said. 'First responders are doing heroic work, but they need your cooperation to save lives.'
