IVINS — Lightning storms on Saturday sparked three wildfires across the Arizona Strip. And chances are, residents of Southern Utahn have smelled the smoke.
According to wildfire.gov, the BLM Arizona Strip District fire crews are currently managing three wildland fires south of St. George.
The Quail Springs Fire, located 14 miles south of St. George, was reported at 3:30 p.m. on July 13. This lightning-caused fire is estimated to cover 3,000 acres, with eight smoke jumpers and two fire engines currently on the scene.
The Gulch Fire, located 12 miles south-southwest of St. George, was reported at 4:14 p.m. This lightning-caused fire is estimated to cover 3,000 acres, with 2 engines currently on the scene. On Saturday, two Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) performed retardant drops on both fires. However, due to a high wind event, air support has been placed on hold, as retardant drops are ineffective in high winds and pose a significant risk to pilots.
“We just want to avoid any unnecessary risks to any of our fire staff,” Rachel Carnahan, Public Relations Specialist with the Arizona Strip Bureau of Land Management, told St. George News
Fire crews are also on scene with two engines, one water tender and an Incident Command Type 4 Team at the 100-acre Little Jo Fire located 30 miles south of St. George. Carnahan said the Little Jo fire has now expanded to 101 acres, with the water tender making its rounds between all three fires.
Fire managers are asking for the public’s assistance by avoiding the area to allow crews and resources to access and mitigate the fire.
“There’s so much that happens on the ground,” she said. “A lot of these areas are really steep terrain, really difficult to get to. So that makes it pretty challenging for fire crews on the ground. When people are considerate of that, and just generally try to avoid those areas where there’s high-fire traffic, that helps us out a ton.”
For more information on the fires visit wildfire.gov. This story will be updated as more information is released.
Photo Gallery
Lightning storms on Saturday sparked three wildfires across the Arizona Strip, St. George, Utah, July 14, 2024 | Photo courtesy of Jake Carlen, St. George News
Lightning storms on Saturday sparked three wildfires across the Arizona Strip, St. George, Utah, July 14, 2024 | Photo courtesy of Ron Chaffin, St. George News
Lightning storms on Saturday sparked three wildfires across the Arizona Strip, St. George, Utah, July 14, 2024 | Photo courtesy of Eric Goold, St. George News
A map shows the locations of three wildfires across the Arizona Strip | Photo courtesy of Ron, St. George News
Smoke seen from near the airport in St. George, Utah, July 13, 2024 | Photo courtesy of Jerry Dauphinais, St. George News
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