Latest news with #WashingtonCountySheriff'sDepartment
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Forsyth fire crosses 9,550 acres, evacuation orders for to be downgraded
PINE VALLEY, Utah () — The , that has been burning for a week now, has consumed 9,665 acres and is at 5% containment, according to the latest update from the . A community meeting was held Thursday, June 26, and it was only open to residents of Pine Valley, Grass Valley and Gray's Ranch. All three communities are under evacuation orders. Residents of Pinto are still on standby. Officials said that a recording of the meeting will be available after the meeting on the Dixie National Forest Facebook page. At the community meeting, Washington County Sheriff's Department announced that evacuation orders for the communities of Pine Valley, Grass Valley, and Grassy Flats will be downgraded from 'go' status to 'set' status Friday at 10 a.m. Residents will be able to return to their homes starting at that time, but they will still need to be ready to evacuate again if conditions worsen. According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, as the weather continues to warm up, everything is drying out. This combined with the difficult terrain, is making it hard to fight the fire. About 509 personnel are battling the fire. PREVIOUSLY: Forsyth Fire continues to spread, reaches nearly 9,000 acres, 5% contained The containment is a portion of the south side of the town of Pine Valley, represented in the map below with a black thick line. Officials also addressed concerns about this taking as long as it is to build containment. They say that the Saddle Fire of 2016 burned for 7 weeks before getting 100% containment and burned approximately 2,200 acres. Depending on the weather and fuels on the ground, the Washington County Sheriff's Office has asked the community to be patient as firefighters 'push themselves so hard trying to get the entire town contained to relieve the danger.' What is a red flag warning anyway? Wildland firefighting terminologies explained Kelly Wickens, Prevention Specialist for Forestry Fire State Lands, State of Utah, mean in an interview with 'When we talk about percentages, say the fire is 10% contained, that means that around the perimeter of the fire, we believe that 10% of that perimeter is secure,' Wickens said. 'So, we do not think that the fire will cross in that area, so that means we are confident that in that area, that the fire will no longer progress.' A warming trend is expected to continue through the weekend, bringing elevated fire weather conditions. According to the U.S. Forest Service, with the change of storms on Monday and Tuesday, they may not only bring precipitation, but can also produce dry lightning with gusty winds, leading to increased fire behavior and the potential for new fires. According to Mike Johnston, Incident Commander of the Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 7, whose team is leading the fight against the Forsyth Fire, said they are working along the Lloyd Canyon ridgeline and will remain in place for the next several days to help secure the southwestern flank. On the northeast end of the fire near Grass Valley, crews were able to build handline along the fire's edge tying it into the West Valley Fire scar, officials said. Following successful firing operations around the summer home community, firefighters are now focused on mop-up and securing the edge in that area. Mopping up the fire . We will be liveblogging the latest updates below. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
28-04-2025
- CBS News
Man injured after shooting near Washington County elementary school sends students inside
A man was injured after a shooting near an elementary school in Washington County on Monday. Authorities said students were on the playground at John F. Kennedy Catholic School in Washington around noon when shots rang out across the street. Police said the shooting happened while deputies with the Washington County Sheriff's Department were at the school with the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. When they heard the gunfire, they got the kids to safety. "The sheriff's office actually had officers right here in the area, so they were here right away," Detective John Hritz with the Washington Police Department said. When law enforcement heard the shots, officials said the deputies ushered the students inside, moved students away from windows, and secured the building. They then responded to the scene, where they found a man who had been shot. "It seems like everything happened outside here, right on the street on the sidewalk," Hritz said. While the victim was being rushed to a local hospital, detectives got to work to try and piece together what happened. They interviewed witnesses, looked for surveillance footage in the area and collected evidence. "To have a shooting in the middle of the daylight in the middle of a neighborhood here is obviously out of the ordinary," Hritz said. When the city's mayor heard about the shooting and how close it was to the school, he rushed to the scene. While he condemned the shooter, he praised school officials and law enforcement for their quick action. "The school and the sheriff's office, with the way they worked to make sure the kids were safe, I've already got calls from residents saying they commend them for getting the kids off the playground, back into the school and making sure they were safe. I want all those parents of those students to know the staff and the sheriff's office did a phenomenal job taking care of your kids to make sure they weren't part of another scene," Mayor JoJo Burgess said. Police are asking anyone who has a surveillance video from their home to please reach out to police. It was not immediately known if police had a suspect.
