‘It wasn’t intentional’: Firefighters respond to brush fire in Enoch

Firefighters responded to a fire started accidentally in Enoch, June 16, 2020 | Photo by Kelsey Cooke, St George News / Cedar City News

ENOCH — Multiple agencies responded to a brush fire Tuesday morning at 1765 E. 5100 North in Enoch.

A Cedar City Fire Department Type 1 structure engine was the first on the scene, followed shortly by a Type 6 wildland engine, Enoch Police Department, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.

Cedar City Fire Chief Mike Phillips said the fire was contained within minutes of arrival on scene, and it affected around .29 acres.

“We got on it quick and got it put out,” Phillips said. “The engine was the first one here, and they got a pretty good line around the bottom side of the fire. When the Type 6 and the state and federal agencies showed up we tied in the top end of the fire.”

Enoch Police Department Sgt. Isaac Askeroth said the fire was accidental.

“A company was hired to mow the weeds and grass down, and the mower struck something, sparked something, and it caught fire,” Askeroth said. “It wasn’t intentional.”

Phillips said mowing the weeds down was an effort to reduce fuel for a potential fire, “So, they were trying to do a good thing,” but the windy, dry conditions contributed to starting the fire.

“A dry, windy day is not a good day to do that,” Phillips said. “You want to do that when it’s a little cooler and higher humidity and not as windy.”

Phillps added that interagency cooperation is key when managing fires.

“Really when you look at these — it doesn’t matter what the truck is, we all work together to put the fire out,” Phillips said.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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