ST. GEORGE, Utah — The burn scars from the Forsyth Fire in southern Utah's Pine Valley have given way to the new concern of flash flooding.
Even though Pine Valley Mountain is about 35 miles away from St. George, a big worry is that the fire zone could bring debris, ash, and pieces of homes down the Santa Clara River and into local neighborhoods.
"As it channels down to Santa Clara, we have to be aware of that in St. George as well, because we know what happens when that channel gets blocked. So this is the ongoing story," said St. George Councilmember Natalie Larsen.
The Santa Clara River begins in the mountains above Pine Valley, winding its way past Veyo and heading south through Gunlock before going through Santa Clara. It ultimately connects with the Virgin River on the southern end of St. George.
Officials are worried that all the burnt trees, ash and debris from destroyed property aren’t going to stay in Pine Valley but continue down the Santa Clara River and go all the way downriver into Santa Clara and St. George. At Cottonwood Cove in St. George, plaques mark the devastating floods in January 2005 that washed away more than 30 homes and multiple bridges.
Builder whose Pine Valley home survived Forsyth Fire says he built luck:
Officials worry over debris flows that either cause a messy hindrance at the least, or flooding-causing backups at the worst.
"When you do see what happens with the debris, then the river gets diverted, and then where does it end up?" asked Larsen. "So those are the things that, as we move forward, as the runoff happens this spring, this is not a story that is over today, and I think that's what this is about is we're going to be mitigating for this fire for years to come."
In Pine Valley, local volunteer firefighters are working to keep that from happening. They’re planning to work to clear as much debris as they can from the river and possible flood paths from the burn zone.
"We don't really prepare for flood mitigation. So this is all new to us and we're learning as we go," explained Pine Valley Fire Chief Robert Hardy.
The fire department consists of unpaid volunteers with used equipment. But like the Forsyth Fire itself, they will be the first line of defense protecting the residents downstream. Washington County is providing some flood protection equipment, and an ongoing T-shirt fundraiser is aiming to fund more.
"We've never had a wildfire burn into town like this before, and we've got severely scarred hills right above town," added Hardy. "And those drainages come right through town. So we don't know what's going to happen.
