Forsyth Fire burning over 7,000 acres, still at 0% containment

PINE VALLEY, Utah (ABC4) — The Forsyth Fire is now burning nearly 7,045 acres and is still at 0% containment, according to the recent update from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office – Utah.

As of Monday morning, over 280 personnel are fighting the fire and 13 homes have been destroyed. No additional structure losses have been reported. Officials confirm that the fire was caused by lightning.

Pine Valley and Grass Valley are under mandatory evacuation orders. The town of Pinto is on standby.

A community meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, June 23, at the Central Fire Station located at 155 E Central Street. It’s the first one so far. Utah Governor Spencer Cox is expected to attend this meeting.

“It’s very humbling when you’re loading up your cars as you try to decide what you’re going to take and you have family who are the only ones that matter,” one of the residents who were evacuating got emotional while speaking with ABC4.com.

Update on Fire conditions

According to the U.S. Forest Service – Dixie National Forest, they expect winds to shift back to coming from the southwest at speeds of 15-20 mph on Monday, June 23. As the week progresses, officials expect conditions to turn increasingly hot and dry, raising the potential for critical fire weather as the weekend approaches. A combination of unseasonably dry fuels, low humidity, and strong winds continue to drive growth.

On Sunday, air resources dropped retardant near the old burn scars. The northeast and southwest edges of the fire are burning within the Pine Valley Wilderness Area.

Firefighters responding

Officials say they have orders in for more personnel to help them with battling the fire and still aren’t sure how that will affect the number of local firefighters possibly pulling back. 

Mike McMillan with the U.S. Forest Service- Dixie National Forest said their primary mission is safety and securing the town to make sure no more structures are lost.

“They’ve managed to scramble from house to house and basically save as many residents as they could,” McMillan told ABC4.com. As of Saturday, the fire has destroyed 14 homes.

ABC4 spoke with Chief Charlie Guthrie with the Northwest Fire and Rescue District who was on the fire lines when the flames broke out.

“It was big heavy timbers the fire came down through. It was pretty impressive, but pretty scary,” Chief Guthrie said. “There was one point when we were on structure protection and the fire got so close we had to drop our hose and run.”

Chief Guthrie says they’re hitting the fire with full force. There are air attacks during the day and bulldozers in place to protect structures.