PINE VALLEY, Utah — Firefighters in southern Utah are continuing their focus on fighting the Forsyth Fire. Tuesday morning, crews reported the smallest growth in the fire in days at just 1,184 more acres burning overnight.
The current estimated size of the fire is 8,229 acres with 0% containment. A total of 509 personnel are currently fighting the fire.
WATCH BELOW: Community town hall meeting held Monday evening
In the town of Central, just outside Pine Valley, fire officials held a community meeting Wednesday night at the Central Fire Station to update people on where the fire stands. So far, it has destroyed 13 homes, and evacuation orders remain in place in part to help firefighters gain control of the fire.
“The reason we do this is for your safety, to clear property, so they can focus on the job that they’re doing, and we don’t have to worry about people trying to evacuate as they’re working,” said Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Lucas Allred.
At this point, the nearby town of New Harmony hasn’t been touched by the fire. Nonetheless, the town’s all-volunteer fire department could use some more helping hands. “Yeah, so we average anywhere between about 10 and 15 volunteers,” said James Banks, the fire chief of the Harmony Valley Fire District
Banks added that finding people to volunteer can be difficult and believes the Forsyth Fire may motivate some to donate their time to help keep their community safe. “Unfortunately, sometimes it takes tragedies like this for people's awareness to be heightened. Of course, we're standing with our brothers and sisters over there in Pine Valley doing such a good job,” said Banks.
Residents of Harmony Valley interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter are invited to a training session on Thursday at the Kolob Station. It’s scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m.
The incident commander, Mike Johnston, reports that on Monday, firefighters were able to rappel down from helicopters into areas along a prominent ridgeline on the southwest edge of the fire. From there, they were able to secure the fire's edge.
Today, crews are expected to begin working in Lloyd Canyon to dig hand lines and lay water hoses to provide adequate protection to structures in the area. "Resources are also working to protect Pine Valley Recreation Area campgrounds, laying hose lines and reducing fire activity," Johnston wrote in a release.
Longtime Pine Valley resident's home safe for now as neighbors, friends lose theirs to Forsyth Fire:
Tuesday's winds are expected to be at 15 to 20 miles per hour. Officials warn that as the week continues, more dry weather can be expected, which raises the potential for critical fire weather. Thursday and Friday are expected to be the best days for potential red flag warnings.
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