Washington County wildfire forces evacuations, as blazes near Bryce Canyon and Lake Powell grow

With high temperatures and strong winds across southern Utah, wildfires continue to surge.

The Forsyth Fire, which started in Dixie National Forest near Pine Valley Thursday evening, had destroyed 12 structures by Friday afternoon, including primary and secondary homes, according to Utah Fire Info.

The fire prompted mandatory evacuations in the Pine Valley community, forcing 400 to 500 people from their homes, Jennifer Plecki, public affairs specialist for Dixie National Forest, told The Tribune. There are approximately 450 homes in the area, with half of those inhabited by full-time residents.

The cause is currently unknown, but wind gusts helped the flames spread quickly.

“We don’t know how it started, but whatever started that fire, the wind really kicked it up,” said Karl Hunt, public affairs officer for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands.

The blaze reached 1,500 acres as of Friday, according to Utah Fire Info.

“We currently don’t have plans for any more evacuations, but that can change dependent on the direction of the fire spread,” Plecki said.

There are roughly 150 firefighters tackling the blaze.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, in a Facebook post Friday, encouraged people to stay away from area near the fire so that crews could move resources freely.

“It can get difficult with too much traffic floating around. Even one or two extra vehicles can cause problems,” the sheriff’s office wrote. “We have even had people try to get up here just to fish this morning. Also, please keep drones grounded. If you fly, fire planes and helicopters can’t.”

Strong winds push France Canyon Fire further north

The France Canyon Fire burning west of Bryce Canyon National Park grew to 9,575 acres as of Friday. Fire behavior has increased significantly due to low relative humidity and wind gusts reaching upwards of 35 to 40 miles-per-hour.

High winds Thursday afternoon grounded helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, which started early Friday morning in anticipation of another day of strong winds.

“It was a scary day yesterday for the crews and for our team,” said Sierra Hellstrom, public information officer for the Color Country Type 3 Incident Management Team.

Firefighters had to pull back in the north on Thursday due to dangerous conditions, Hellstrom said. Crews noticed ash from the head of the fire jumping one to two miles, Hellstrom added. “You cannot outrun a fire if it’s making a move.”

The northern edge includes particularly challenging terrain. Limited road access means firefighters have to hike through a rocky area with steep cliffs. Snags — dead or dying trees — from the Little Bear Fire in 2019 also pose danger.

“It’s dangerous to hike through old fire scars, especially in high winds, because the winds can blow those fire-weakend trees down,” said Hellstrom. “Tree strikes is a very high risk issue that we have. We have a lot of injuries and fatalities every year from tree strikes in high snag areas.”

No structures or communities to the north are immediately threatened, but spread out cabins and homes in Johnson, Wilson and Hillsdale Canyons may be at risk as the fire continues to grow.

Despite challenges on the northern flank, firefighting crews held the line on the southwestern portion near the community of Bryce Woodlands and the eastern flank near Bryce Canyon National Park.

“The lines are holding, and [fire managers are] feeling really good about the probability of being able to hold that anchor point on the southern and eastern side,” Hellstrom said.

There are now more than 500 personnel fighting the fire, including various aircraft, 14 handcrews, two bulldozers and 12 engines from a variety of agencies and states across the West, including California, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon.

Road closures include all national forest system lands south of Utah State Route 12, on the Powell Ranger District, with the exception of the trails and campgrounds in Red Canyon. The East Fork Road also remains closed.

Minimal fire growth near Lake Powell

The Bridge Creek Fire on Navajo Mountain near Lake Powell grew slightly to 1,413 acres as of Friday.

“We did see about 300 or so acres growth yesterday, but really it’s just smoldering and kind of creeping around,” said Noah Baker, public information officer for the Northern Arizona Type Three Management Team, which is now overseeing the fire.

With higher temperatures and strong winds on the forecast for the weekend, crews are prepared for potentially fire spread and increased smoke.

The blaze is burning on steep terrain on the west side of Navajo Mountain in the Navajo Nation. Firefighters can’t tackle the flames from the ground due to safety concerns, so they’ve primarily been using aircraft to drop water from Lake Powell.

Firefighters are focusing on protecting communication towers and culturally significant areas on Navajo Mountain. “Really, the entire mountain is of cultural significance,” Baker said.

No other structures or communities are on alert or immediately threatened.

Going into the weekend, red flag warnings remain in effect for much of the state.

“Use your fire sense when you’re outdoors recreating, especially in red flag warning areas because a little spark can be driven by the wind and it can become a larger wildfire,” Hunt said.