New Harmony Fire 90 percent contained

New Harmony Fire, June 27, 2012 | Photo courtesy of the Utah Bureau of Land Managment

NEW HARMONY – The New Harmony Fire is now 90 percent continued as of 6 p.m. Friday.

All evacuations caused by the fire have been lifted as of Friday afternoon. All roads are also open and secure.

Nick Howell, information officer for the New Harmony Fire, said evacuees from the Bumblebee Ridge subdivision were able to return to their homes by noon on Friday.

The fire remains at 70 percent containment and has not increased thanks to effective firefighting efforts, Howell said.

Approximately 80 firefighters are on the scene. Jeramie Ybright’s Color Country Interagency Type III team assumed command of the fire on Thursday.

The fire was triggered by a water pump malfunction on private land around 1:50 p.m. in New Harmony Wednesday. It spread quickly and resulted in the evacuation of residences in New Harmony and Kanarraville, as well as the temporary shutdown of Interstate 15, and state highways 91 and 144.

The fire has thus far consumed seven structures (homes or trailers), 22 outbuildings (sheds/garages), and numerous vehicles.

See a previous update of the New Harmony Fire here.

An aerial photo taken on June 29 by Nick Howell illustrating the importance of “defensible space” when living in what is called the Wildland Urban Interface. Howell said vegetation treatments conducted by BLM and Forestry, Fire and State Lands made a big difference in the overall outcome of limiting this fire’s path of travel. Defensible space on private property and vegetation treatments on State and BLM land were a great combination here, he said. June 29, 2012 | Photo by Nick Howell, Utah Bureau of Land Management.

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Copyright 2012 St. George News.

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1 Comment

  • Tyler June 29, 2012 at 11:07 pm

    the fire is 990 percent continued? Hmmm oookay

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