News LIVE: Firefighters prepare to knock down 75-acre Oak Grove fire

Written by Mori Kessler
September 8, 2015
A fire near Pine Valley Mountain caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

NEWS LIVE: This report contains news live as it develops and is being updated continuously. Bookmark and refresh the page periodically for updates.

WASHINGTON COUNTY – Firefighters are staging and making preparations Tuesday to battle a 75-acre fire near Pine Valley Mountain presumed to be lightning-caused.

A fire near Pine Valley Mountain caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
A fire near Pine Valley Mountain caused the Oak Grove Campground to be evacuated, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Around 11 a.m., the St. George Communications Center began receiving a multitude of calls about the wildfire which can be seen burning from various places throughout Washington County.

The fire is currently burning approximately 2 miles east of Oak Grove Campground.

Authorities began evacuating the campground, which is located about 13.5 miles north of St. George in the Dixie National Forest to the east of the Pine Valley Mountain wilderness.

The evacuation was done as a precautionary measure, Washington County Fire Warden Adam Heyder, because of the continuous fuel between the fire and the campground.

Firefighters prepare pool of water to be dumped on a fire near Pine Valley Mountain, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Firefighters prepare pool of water to be dumped on a fire near Pine Valley Mountain, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 8, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

At this time, Heyder said, there is no immediate threat to life or property.

Because of safety issues caused by rocky, steep terrain and extreme fire behavior, Heyder said, no firefighters are being put on the mountain until after the fire is brought under better control through use of air support. Firefighters are currently staged approximately 2 miles out.

While the fire is presumed to be lightning-caused, Heyder said, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by the authorities and may not contain the full scope of findings.

St. George News Assistant Editor Kimberly Scott contributed to this report.

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mori Kessler serves as a Senior Reporter for St. George News, having previously contributed as a writer and Interim Editor in 2011-12, and an assistant editor from 2012 to mid-2014. He began writing news as a freelancer in 2009 for Today in Dixie, and joined the writing staff of St. George News in mid-2010. He enjoys photography and won an award for photojournalism from the Society of Professional Journalists for a 2018 photo of a bee inspector removing ferals bees from a Washington City home. He is also a shameless nerd and has a bad sense of direction.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @MoriKessler@STGnews

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