Lightning strike ignites 50-acre wildland fire near Hurricane

"Gulch Fire" burns through more than 50 acres by 6 p.m. in the Hurricane Mesa area below Little Creek Wednesday, Washington County, Utah, Aug. 2, 2017 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News

WASHINGTON COUNTY — A wildland fire near the Hurricane Mesa area burned quickly and triggered a multiagency response Wednesday afternoon.

Shortly before 5 p.m. firefighters were dispatched to a fire that involved a fast spreading blaze just below the Little Creek Mesa behind Mollies Nipple, Washington County Fire Warden Adam Heyder said.

More than 50 acres burned near the Hurricane Mesa area below Little Creek Wednesday, Washington County, Utah, Aug. 2, 2017 | Google Earth, St. George News

The “Gulch Fire” was burning through a remote area with no paved or gravel roads and was being fed by grass and sagebrush, a fuel that can spread the fire very quickly, he said.

Upon arrival firefighters from Hurricane Valley Fire and Rescue began fighting the blaze and were soon joined by fire crews from the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Utah Division of Forestry.

An interagency response was activated when it was classified as a wildland fire, Heyder said.

The fire was caused by a lightning strike, he said, and was not a threat to any structures. No injuries reported.

Approximately 30 firefighters battled the blaze that burned through more than 50 acres at 6:03 p.m. and fire crews were still on scene at the writing of this report.

This report is based on statements from emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

 

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1 Comment

  • valia August 4, 2017 at 10:21 am

    Thanks for providing the map with a marker. We don’t see enough of that.

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