Fire in southern Utah grows to 1,500 acres, forcing evacuations and burning homes

An active and fast-moving fire in southern Utah grew to about 1,500 acres by Friday evening, destroying at least 12 structures, including homes. 

Between 400 to 500 people in the Pine Valley community have been under an evacuation order since Thursday night, after the ​​Forsythe Fire was spotted burning about a quarter mile from town. 

The fire is located about 15 miles north of St. George, in between state Route 18 and Interstate 15. 

As of Friday morning, the fire had burned about 1,500 acres and was not contained, according to Utah Fire Info. According to state officials, at least 12 structures — including primary and secondary homes — have been destroyed. 

In a social media post, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox warned the situation could worsen. 

“We’re closely monitoring the Forsyth Fire in Pine Valley. We know that homes have been lost, and high winds continue to fuel dangerous conditions,” Cox said. “If you’re in the area, please evacuate immediately. First responders are doing heroic work, but they need your cooperation to save lives.” 

The governor added, “Conditions are rapidly deteriorating and will continue through Saturday. Please exercise extreme caution.” 

Smoke was visible from St. George, authorities in Washington County said, and crews are using aircraft to fight the fire. Smokejumpers — highly specialized firefighters that parachute into the fire area — have also been called in.   

The ​​Forsythe Fire is one of nine fires that started in the last 24 hours, as the state experiences record-breaking heat and high winds. Other than the ​​Forsythe Fire, the other new fires are all still relatively small. 

So far this year, the Beehive State has seen a reported 328 wildfires that have burned about 13,850 acres. Of those, 243 were determined to be human-caused. At least 47 were natural, and 38 remain undetermined, according to Utah Fire Info. 

The largest fire of the year is the France Canyon Fire, burning in a sparsely populated area outside of Bryce Canyon National Park. The U.S. Forest Service is currently fighting the blaze, which has burned about 7,650 acres and is just 5% contained. 

The Bridge Creek Fire, located on the Navajo Nation near the Utah-Arizona border, has burned about 1,145 acres and is 0% contained.