File photo of the Greenville Fire near the campground at Minersville Reservoir in Beaver County, Utah, Aug 22, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Beaver County Commission, St. George News
ST. GEORGE —A lighting-caused fire in Beaver County south of the Minersville Reservoir that ignited Saturday afternoon has grown to 1,800 acres.
The Greenville Fire was originally reported around 4:50 p.m. Saturday and was at an estimated 300 acres shortly before 7 p.m. By 10 p.m. it reached 1,800 acres with firefighters achieving 5% containment, Greenville Fire information officer Christian Venhuizen told St. George News over the phone.
State Route 21 near the Minersville Reservoir in Beaver County has been closed due to the growing wildfire in the area, though officials are optimistic they’ll be able to open the road soon, Venhuizen said.
The fire reportedly threatens a ranch and a campground by the Minersville Reservoir. According to posts over Twitter and Facebook, the infrastructure at the campground is still standing and visitors to the campsite have been evacuated.
The fire is presently spreading and burning through grass, brush and juniper trees, Venhuizen said.
Fire fighting resources dedicated to the fire include nine fire engines, one water tender, four helicopters, six single-engine planes, two large air tankers and several firefighters.
Update Aug. 22, 10:25 p.m. Photos added.
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Graphic showing the general location of the Greenville Fire near SR-21 and the Minersville Reservoir in Beaver County, Utah. | Graphic courtesy of Utah Fire Info, St. George News
At the Greenville Fire near the campground at Minersville Reservoir in Beaver County, Utah, Aug 22, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Beaver County Commission, St. George News
At the Greenville Fire near the campground at Minersville Reservoir in Beaver County, Utah, Aug 22, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Beaver County Commission, St. George News
At the Greenville Fire near the campground at Minersville Reservoir in Beaver County, Utah, Aug 22, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Beaver County Commission, St. George News
At the Greenville Fire near the campground at Minersville Reservoir in Beaver County, Utah, Aug 22, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Beaver County Commission, St. George News
At the Greenville Fire near the campground at Minersville Reservoir in Beaver County, Utah, Aug 22, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Beaver County Commission, St. George News
At the Greenville Fire near the campground at Minersville Reservoir in Beaver County, Utah, Aug 22, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Beaver County Commission, St. George News
At the Greenville Fire near the campground at Minersville Reservoir in Beaver County, Utah, Aug 22, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Beaver County Commission, St. George News
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, 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.