ST. GEORGE — A short-lived brush fire in Veyo drew multiple firefighting agencies to the scene Saturday afternoon, with high winds quickly spreading the flames. Just as quickly, fire crews knocked them down.
The agencies were dispatched to the incident at 3:28 p.m. near an area of North Block Road in Veyo, according to a social media post from the Dammeron Valley Fire and Rescue.
When Dammeron Valley’s in-station fire crew arrived on the scene, they found the fire was threatening multiple outbuildings and homes.
A local fire official who spoke with St. George News said homeowners were seen trying to put out the fire using water from their garden hoses.
One member of the responding fire departments had been at a Veyo gas station when they saw smoke, tracked it to the growing fire and began to battle the blaze, while also calling other agencies for assistance.
The backup firefighters were able to jump on the fire with what the fire official described as a “monitor” — a water cannon mounted on the front of a wildfire truck — and curtailed flames advancing on nearby structures and one parked vehicle.
Agencies that responded along with Dammeron Valley Fire include the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Enterprise Fire Department, Gunlock Volunteer Fire Department, Santa Clara/Ivins Fire and Rescue and the Utah Department of Natural Resources.
The fire is estimated to have burned between 1.5 to 2 acres before being contained. Fire crews entered mop up mode by 7 p.m., with at least one agency remaining on site to watch for flare-ups.
While multiple structures were threatened, none were reported to have been damaged by the fire.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
“Despite a wet spring and cooler temperatures, fire risks in our Wildland Urban Interface remain a significant risk,” the Dammeron Valley Fire post states. “Please contain fires to established fire pits or grills and never leave a fire unattended. If you see smoke call 911 to report the potential fire.”
Veyo was the site of the larger West Veyo Fire that reached nearly 3,000 acres in July 2020. Another fire, called the Veyo Pool Fire happened in August of the same year and burned up to 100 acres before being contained.
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