KANOSH, Utah — In less than 24 hours, the Wide Mouth 2 Fire in Millard County exploded from a few dozen acres to thousands, prompting evacuation orders for some areas and leaving others to wait and see if they'll need to leave.
Kanosh resident Bart Whatcott has been watching the fire develop, and as of Wednesday, he didn't seem too concerned.
“We got our lawn chairs out and started watching it, [rather] than getting panicked,” admitted Whatcott. “Kind of sad to see some of my deer hunting spots burnt up.”
The Millard County Sheriff's Office posted evacuation orders for the Turkey Track Lane and Cemetery Road areas, and set up an evacuation at a local stake in Fillmore. Areas from 300 South to Highway 91 are now in "SET" status and have been told to pack essential items and be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice.
Meanwhile, people in the rest of Kanosh remain in "READY" status and are advised to stay informed and be ready for possible evacuations.
Whatcott thought he would wake up Wednesday to a much different scene than what he saw.
“It’s working out better than what I thought it was going to be," he said.
Erratic winds caused the lightning-sparked fire to spread quickly.
“Our number one priority is protecting the structures and the town, so we are going to send hand crews over there this morning to protect that area. This morning it looked really good," said Millard County Sheriff Steve Lamb.
There are currently about 150 personnel battling the wildfire, including crews fighting it from the ground and the sky.
“We’re really grateful for the efforts of the firefighters," added Whatcott. "The guys hitting it with retardant, it was just amazing to watch these guys.”
Whatcott also shared how the community neighborhood really came together to help during what could have been a chaotic time.
“Neighbors helping neighbors," he said.
