LA SAL, Utah — Ten buildings have been destroyed, including five homes, and many more are currently threatened in the Deer Creek Fire in the southeastern Utah town of La Sal. The fire has grown to over 7,000 acres, and 250 people have been evacuated, with more ordered Friday.
An alert from the San Juan County Sheriff's Office at 2:30 p.m. said those in the area of Upper 2 Mile Road to the Utah-Colorado border, or within five miles of the fire, are ordered to evacuate.
At 10 p.m., officials updated the numbers to say that 140 structures are currently threatened, including 80 homes. Ten homes have been damaged and 5 completely destroyed.
The new order shows the fire is pushing back towards its starting point near Deer Creek Road in La Sal.
“Unfortunately, a lot of unstable air masses are in the area, and it’s hard for firefighters to guess and predict what the fire activity is going to do,” said Kayli Guild with the Utah Division of Natural Resources.
Community comes together to support those devastated by Deer Creek Fire:
Two of the homes that were destroyed were primary homes, while two were secondary homes. Of the 13 outbuildings destroyed, one was a U.S. Forest Service facility.
Fire officials added that the fire has jumped into Colorado, and some local power infrastructure has been destroyed.
While crews hoped for a calm day Friday, Guild said the topography is a driving factor for the fire and that Old La Sal and its subdivisions sit up on a ridge at 7,500 feet.
“You will get fire activity and as it’s traveling upwards, it’s pre-loading the fuels ahead of it,” she said.
Watch: Utah officials discuss fight against Deer Creek Fire
Old La Sal Road remains closed to all traffic until further notice, as well as State Route 46, south of the fire, which is closed in all directions.
Kim Ross, a clerk at E's Market in La Sal, says the fear is creating hard times for the community. "I mean, we lost some structures, some houses, some animals," Ross stated. "This is a really hard time for our community."
Those who have been forced to evacuate are being told to go to the La Sal Community Center.
"Please stay clear of restricted areas and follow all emergency personnel instructions," the San Juan County Sheriff's Office said. "Your safety is our top priority."
Officials warn the evacuations could expand as the fight against the blaze continues through the day. "It's important for people to adhere to whatever the San Jan County Sheriff's evacuation notices, make sure you are staying out of the way of firefighters, for your safety and theirs," Guild expressed.
As federal, state and local crews do their best to attack the flames from down low and above, Guild pointed out they are getting stretched thin between new starts like the Deer Creek Fire and other big burns like the Forsyth Fire in the St. George area.
“Appreciate and thank your wildland fire firefighters, all of them, truthfully," she said. "Everybody’s coming together to do one thing, and that’s to help put this to rest.”
