ST. GEORGE — Washington County residents may notice a great deal of smoke in the eastern sky in the next few days. But it’s not a brush fire or an emergency – it’s measures being taken to prevent one.
The Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands is deliberately burning several piles of dry brush and other potential fuels for wildfires in an area near Washington Dam.
The prescribed burns began Tuesday morning and will continue through the rest of the week, according to Color County fire officials.
Jason Whipple, director of Washington County Emergency Services, said the piles being burned consist of brush and other dry plant growth that have been cut away from areas of Southern Utah that are prime for wildfires. The idea is to create fuel breaks and other mitigations to help in the winter to prevent large brush blazes when the weather, and the fire season, warm up.
“They’re trying to develop fuel breaks and defensible type of areas, and keep areas from being overgrown and carry fire from one place to another,” Whipple said, adding even though winter is three weeks old, fire officials are still racing against the clock to remove as much potential wildfire fuel as possible. “There’s a lot to do so they stay pretty busy.”
While 2022 saw fewer major brush fires in Southern Utah than the record-breaking years of 2021 and 2020, blazes like the June 2021 wildfire in Enterprise, the July 2020 Cottonwood Fire and the 71,000-acre Brian Head fire in 2017 are still fresh in local memories.
Those summer brush fires are reasons why fire officials are trying to take preventative measures in the cooler and less dangerous winter.
“These are piles that need to be burned,” Whipple said. “They’ll take this time of the year because it’s winter with rain – because it’s safer to do.”
Update Jan. 11, 1:15 p.m. Additional photos added.
Photo Gallery
Piles of cleared brush from areas prone to wildfires burn near Washington Dam, Washington City, Utah, Jan. 10, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Emergency Services, St. George News Fire officials set piles of cleared brush from areas prone to wildfires in a prescribed burn near Washington Dam, Washington City, Utah, Jan. 10, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Emergency Services, St. George News Fire officials set piles of cleared brush from areas prone to wildfires in a prescribed burn near Washington Dam, Washington City, Utah, Jan. 10, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Emergency Services, St. George News Fire officials set piles of cleared brush from areas prone to wildfires in a prescribed burn near Washington Dam, Washington City, Utah, Jan. 10, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Emergency Services, St. George News Fire officials set piles of cleared brush from areas prone to wildfires in a prescribed burn near Washington Dam, Washington City, Utah, Jan. 10, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Emergency Services, St. George News
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