After Forsythe Fire burns at least 13 homes, Gov. Cox warns it’s the first of many major fires

Editor’s note: This story has been updated.

Fueled by unseasonably dry conditions and high wind, the Forsythe Fire in southern Utah continues to burn. 

At least 13 homes have been destroyed by the 7,045-acre fire and roughly 450 residents of Pine Valley, a small community north of St. George, remain under an evacuation order as of Monday morning. The fire is 0% contained and over the weekend the evacuation order was expanded to include the nearby Pinto and Grass Valley communities. 

“Sadly, we have two major fires burning right now,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Sunday, speaking from a smoky Pine Valley alongside firefighters. “These are just the first of likely many that are going to happen … there’s no rain in the forecast for the next two weeks, that means it’s going to be dicey everywhere.” 

The France Canyon Fire is the largest burning in Utah as of Monday, located in a remote area outside of Bryce Canyon National Park. The fire is roughly 23,353 acres and is 10% contained. 

The Forsythe Fire was discovered on June 15 and was likely caused by lightning, according to Cox. In just 24 hours last week, during record-breaking heat, high winds and unusually dry conditions, the fire ballooned to over 1,000 acres and was spotted just a quarter-mile from Pine Valley, prompting the evacuation of residents and campers. 

By Friday evening, 12 structures were reported lost, including homes, and on Saturday the evacuation order was expanded. As of Sunday evening, the Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team said 14 structures were lost in the fire, most of them homes. 

Officials in the area say most of those structures were second homes, some belonging to volunteer firefighters who are working the blaze. No one has been displaced by the fire, and many Pine Valley residents have their primary residence in St. George. 

“It’s been a really rough few days,” said Cox. “This is a tragedy, obviously … but we can replace property but we can’t replace people. And the most important statistic today is that nobody has been injured or killed in this fire.” 

The Forsythe Fire is one of at least 349 fires reported around Utah so far this year, according to Utah Fire Info. Most of them — 257 — were human caused. At least 47 were natural, and the cause of the remaining 45 is unknown. 

Those fires have burned an estimated 27,313 acres throughout the state. And as Utahns gear up to celebrate the Fourth of July, Cox urged residents to be vigilant and not take unnecessary risks. 

“This is one of those years,” he said. “Hold off on your personal fireworks.”