Latest news with #PineValley
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Terrain drives Forsyth Fire to grow another 775 acres, surpassing 15,000 acres burned
PINE VALLEY, Utah () — The Forsyth Fire that is burning near Pine Valley in Washington County grew another 775 acres as firefighters continue to struggle with difficult terrain in the area. The spread occurred on the southern edge of the fire, where crews are focusing aircraft and ground efforts. Smoke also increased over the last 24 hours as winds pushed the fire into unburned fuel. As hot and dry weather is expected to continue into the weekend, fire officials are expecting fire behavior to continue to increase. The lightning-caused fire sparked on June 19 and has since burned 15,363 acres. Despite the over 770-acre growth, firefighters still hold 58% containment on the flames. The United States Forest Service reports that 589 fire personnel are on scene battling the fire. Delta brings new nonstop service to South America from Salt Lake International Airport A Stage 1 fire restriction remains in place for Washington, Iron and surrounding counties. A forest closure order has also been issued for the Pine Valley Ranger District. The Pine Valley, Grass Valley, and Gray's Ranch communities remain in a 'ready' status for evacuation, meaning residents should begin preparations for evacuations, should one be issued. The U.S. Forest Service notes that Pinto is no longer under any evacuation status. Schumer presses RFK Jr. to declare measles emergency DOJ subpoenas clinics that provide trans care to minors Poor Utah air quality may be even more dangerous than previously believed, research shows New York Republican urges Trump to restore funding for after-school programs Terrain drives Forsyth Fire to grow another 775 acres, surpassing 15,000 acres burned Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
400 firefighters now working on southern Utah's Pine Valley fire
PINE VALLEY, Washington County — The battle against the fire on southern Utah's Pine Valley Mountains continues Sunday with 400 firefighters now at the scene. The federal Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team took over command of the blaze, dubbed the Forsyth Fire, on Sunday. The lightning-caused fire remains 0% contained and was last mapped Saturday at 1,640 acres. At last count, 14 homes and cabins and a few outbuildings were destroyed in the wildfire. Crews Saturday 'worked to extinguish hot spots in the valley bottom while continuing structure protection efforts. Over the coming days, operations staff will continue to identify safe and effective opportunities to engage the fire directly and seek containment. Firefighter and public safety are the top priority for this incident,' the team managing the fire said in a news release. Saturday evening, residents in Pinto and Grass Valley Road were urged to evacuate, Utah Fire Info said, after the fire Saturday afternoon 'pushed over a mile north and up over the next ridge, north of Pine Valley.' It was not immediately clear how many more residents are affected. The Pine Valley community evacuation included 450 homes. Fire officials said 'unseasonably dry fuels,' low humidity and strong winds continue to contribute to fire growth. 'Yesterday the fire crossed the main road in Pine Valley and made a run up the ridgetop to the north. (Sunday) will bring a slight relief from the winds the fire has experienced since Thursday. Winds will be out of the northwest in the morning and transition to a southwest wind in the afternoon. Spotting is expected to occur outside of the fire perimeter,' the team said. Gov. Spencer Cox is visiting Pine Valley and will hold a news conference at 2 p.m.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
400 firefighters now working on southern Utah's Pine Valley fire
PINE VALLEY, Washington County — The battle against the fire on southern Utah's Pine Valley Mountains continues Sunday with 400 firefighters now at the scene. The federal Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team took over command of the blaze, dubbed the Forsyth Fire, on Sunday. The lightning-caused fire remains 0% contained and was last mapped Saturday at 1,640 acres. At last count, 14 homes and cabins and a few outbuildings were destroyed in the wildfire. Crews Saturday 'worked to extinguish hot spots in the valley bottom while continuing structure protection efforts. Over the coming days, operations staff will continue to identify safe and effective opportunities to engage the fire directly and seek containment. Firefighter and public safety are the top priority for this incident,' the team managing the fire said in a news release. Saturday evening, residents in Pinto and Grass Valley Road were urged to evacuate, Utah Fire Info said, after the fire Saturday afternoon 'pushed over a mile north and up over the next ridge, north of Pine Valley.' It was not immediately clear how many more residents are affected. The Pine Valley community evacuation included 450 homes. Fire officials said 'unseasonably dry fuels,' low humidity and strong winds continue to contribute to fire growth. 'Yesterday the fire crossed the main road in Pine Valley and made a run up the ridgetop to the north. (Sunday) will bring a slight relief from the winds the fire has experienced since Thursday. Winds will be out of the northwest in the morning and transition to a southwest wind in the afternoon. Spotting is expected to occur outside of the fire perimeter,' the team said. Gov. Spencer Cox is visiting Pine Valley and will hold a news conference at 2 p.m.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
18 buildings destroyed as southern Utah blaze continues to burn amid windy conditions
PINE VALLEY, Washington County — A wildfire in southern Utah is continuing to spread, destroying more homes in its wake. The total of homes grew from 12 to 14 overnight Saturday, plus four other structures were destroyed. The blaze, dubbed the Forsyth Fire, started outside the Pine Valley community in Washington County Thursday night but has quickly grown to about 1,640 acres, according to Utah Fire Info. It remains 0% contained as of Saturday at 9 a.m., and the cause of the fire is 'natural,' Utah Fire Info said. 'I spent a good portion of the day in Pine Valley. I saw hundreds of first responders keeping the town safe. Unfortunately, the winds changed quickly,' Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby said. At least 150 firefighters have been dispatched to fight the blaze. Another round of gusty southwest winds is expected across some of southern Utah on Saturday, with gusts upward of 50 mph expected, the National Weather Service said. Combined with low humidity, critical fire weather conditions will continue throughout Saturday in the area. 'The firefighters were shocked. They had busted their butts for two days with, maybe two hours of sleep to protect the community. They lost structures. That is the worst of the worst in their world. I could see it in their eyes. They gave it all they had, and still lost to mother nature,' the sheriff said. Saturday morning, Rocky Mountain Power announced a public safety power shutoff is now in place for central and southern Utah due to wildfire danger. 'Community safety and reducing wildfire risk are our top priorities,' said Pete Singh, Rocky Mountain Power's incident commander. '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.' About 400 to 500 people were evacuated from Pine Valley in the last two days, 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. The evacuation was ordered as flames started moving downslope toward the community, Chad Walker, incident commander for the U.S. Forest Service, told KSL-TV. Kelly Cannon, one of the residents forced to evacuate, said she saw the fire get very close to homes on her way out. 'I think the scariest thing was not knowing ... if it was going to come down on our street,' she said. 'We didn't know how far the fire had spread, but we could definitely see — I think the flames were like 3 feet high.'
New York Times
21-06-2025
- Climate
- New York Times
Windy Conditions Fan Wildfires in the West
A wildfire in southwestern Utah destroyed 17 homes, and threatened hundreds more, as it grew to more than 1,500 acres on Friday night, the authorities said. The blaze, known as the Forsyth fire, burned just north of St. George, a city near the state's borders with Nevada and Arizona and about 30 minutes from Zion National Park. The damage was concentrated in Pine Valley, a community of just over 300 people about 40 minutes north of St. George. Hundreds of firefighters and other emergency personnel responded to Pine Valley on Thursday when the fire broke out, but a quick change in the winds on Friday led to the destruction of homes, Sheriff Nate Brooksby of Washington County said on Facebook. 'The firefighters were shocked,' Sheriff Brooksby said. 'I could see it in their eyes. They gave it all they had, and still lost to mother nature.' All the residents of Pine Valley had been ordered to evacuate and members of the public were advised to stay away until the fire was contained, the sheriff's office said. Red flag winds, those averaging 15 miles per hour or greater during dry conditions, continue to drive the fire, according to Utah Fire Info, an interagency team for public information regarding wildfires. According to the agency, 150 personnel had been deployed to fight the fire and 400 structures remained under threat. The cause of the fire remained under investigation. About 500 miles west, in Douglas County, Nev., roughly 25 miles east of Lake Tahoe, the Conner fire exploded to almost 14,000 acres, from 2,000 acres on Friday. The fire started as a structure fire, according to the Bureau of Land Management of Nevada, spreading quickly in windy conditions as dry brush and grass fueled its growth. Resources from federal, state and local agencies from Nevada and California were responding to the fire and almost 500 emergency workers were involved in attempts to contain it. Evacuations had been ordered. Images shared on social media showed plumes of smoke from the Conner fire that were visible from Lake Tahoe, a popular vacation destination that straddles California and Nevada and is home to hiking trails, campgrounds and cabins. Wildfire risk remained high as large sections of the United States were expected to experience a heat wave over the weekend. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, sections of the country encompassing parts of California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming were at critical risk of wildfires.
