450 homes near Pine Valley remain evacuated due to fire; more power shutoffs possible
PINE VALLEY, Washington County — Hundreds of people remain evacuated near Pine Valley as the Forsyth Fire continues to grow, fueled by strong winds and other 'critical' fire weather conditions.
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 update Friday. She estimated that 450 homes were evacuated, half of which were occupied by full-time residents.
One hundred firefighters remained at the scene Friday to battle the fire, which had grown to about 1,000 acres in size, Plecki added. She said more personnel are expected to arrive soon.
It's still unclear what sparked the fire. State officials reported earlier Friday that no structures had been destroyed since the fire began.
The update comes as heat, wind and low relative humidity remain in the forecast Friday, prompting the National Weather Service to list most of the state in a red flag warning. 'Critical' fire weather conditions may remain across most of the state through Saturday evening.
The agency also issued a wind advisory for parts of western Utah, where gusts of up to 45-55 mph were forecasted for Friday ahead of a cold front that is forecast to lower temperatures this weekend.
Meanwhile, Rocky Mountain Power, Utah's largest power provider, says it is monitoring the conditions and may temporarily cut power in parts of central and southern Utah until fire weather conditions improve.
While the fast-growing Forsyth Fire began Thursday evening, a large fire burning near Bryce Canyon National Park also grew as wind and other factors 'significantly' increased fire activity in the area.
The France Canyon Fire, Utah's largest wildfire so far this season, has now scorched 9,575 acres, doubling in size over the last few days, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Wind gusts of up to 30 mph fanned flames and forced firefighters to take a 'tactical pause,' the agency reported on Friday.
Red flag conditions forecast for Friday and Saturday could pose additional problems. Over 500 personnel are assigned to battle against the wildfire, which remains 5% contained, but a complex incident management team has now been called in to bring more resources.
The lightning-caused fire was first reported within Dixie National Forest on June 11. All Forest Service land south of state Route 12 within the Powell Ranger District remains closed.
State and federal firefighters reported at least 10 new wildfire starts on Thursday; most were contained quickly.
With strong wind gusts in the forecast through Saturday, Rocky Mountain Power says it may shut off power in some areas to prevent sparking new wildfires. It issued a 'Public Safety Power Shutoff Watch' for parts of southern and central Utah, extending up toward the southern end of the Wasatch Front.
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.
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