ST. GEORGE — A third wildland fire in Southern Utah is active near Minersville where residents have been evacuated, state Route 130 is closed and 4,000 acres have burned as the blaze continues to spread by gusty winds and red flag conditions.
The Black Mountain Fire was reported Thursday approximately 2 miles south of Minersville in Beaver County, which is 82 miles northeast of St. George with a population of 980.
“The town and infrastructure are threatened,” Nick Howell, public information officer for the Color Country Interagency Fire Center, said in an alert released at 2:37 p.m.
Initially reported as a 100-acre fire, it has grown to more than 4,000 acres and is one of approximately eight wildland fires blazing across Utah, according to reports.
Howell said the fire was human-caused.
Other Southern Utah wildland fires are the West Valley Fire that has been burning on Pine Valley Mountain since Wednesday and the Dry Canyon Fire, started at the same time Wednesday in Parowan near state Route 143. The latter was 30 percent contained as of Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service Thursday morning has been extended until Saturday at midnight. Southwest winds 15-25 mph with gusts 30-35 mph will shift to gusty northwest winds.
The winds combined with relative humidity falling to between 10 percent and 15 percent in the afternoon through Saturday will create critical fire weather conditions, which will accelerate the spread of any new or existing fires.
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The Dry Canyon and Pine Valley fires started virtually the same time. This is obviously a case of eco-terrorism.
you mean like some idiot hillbilly driving around in some sxs ATV, dragging a red hot exhaust over brush that’s ready to light up like matchsticks?
Oh you mean an idiot like yourself ! Wow we actually agree on something