SOUTHERN UTAH – Multiple fires have broken out in the past 24 hours or so, all considered small relative to the 1200 give or take acre fire known as the Barns Fire on the Shivwits Reservation recently and the Cottonwood wildfire. Nonetheless, each of these, while containment is expected shortly if not already in place, indicate the rising incidence of human caused fires which is higher in Southern Utah than normal.
Among these currently burning are the following: A fire currently burning about one acre of wild land in Kolob near Lava Point (this fire started as a structural fire and containment is estimated by 8:00 p.m. tonight), four fires in Washington County yesterday and today, one fire in Iron County (5 acres in the Cedar City area, nearly contained at this writing), and one 14 acre fire in Kane County.
Nick Howell, Bureau of Land Management’s Color Country Public Information Officer, who provides the above briefs, brings the reality home:
“We are going to be in trouble if we keep this up [speaking of the human caused fires]. The other counties north of Washington County have hardly dried out yet. Iron County, Garfield, Beaver, Kane as well, are just now starting to dry out.”
Howell explains, “the temperatures are a little more intense in the St. George area right now, but the counties northward are starting to dry out and these little fires are going to become big ones.”
St. George News is preparing and will publish soon in separate article practical simple awareness tips by which Human Attention can bring Fire Prevention.
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Copyright St. George News 2011