Forsyth fire crosses 9,550 acres, evacuation orders for to be downgraded

PINE VALLEY, Utah (ABC4) — The Forsyth Fire, that has been burning for a week now, has consumed 9,665 acres and is at 5% containment, according to the latest update from the U.S. Forest Service- Dixie National Forest.

A community meeting was held Thursday, June 26, and it was only open to residents of Pine Valley, Grass Valley and Gray’s Ranch. All three communities are under evacuation orders. Residents of Pinto are still on standby.

Officials said that a recording of the meeting will be available after the meeting on the Dixie National Forest Facebook page.

At the community meeting, Washington County Sheriff’s Department announced that evacuation orders for the communities of Pine Valley, Grass Valley, and Grassy Flats will be downgraded from “go” status to “set” status Friday at 10 a.m.

Residents will be able to return to their homes starting at that time, but they will still need to be ready to evacuate again if conditions worsen.

According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, as the weather continues to warm up, everything is drying out. This combined with the difficult terrain, is making it hard to fight the fire. About 509 personnel are battling the fire.

The containment is a portion of the south side of the town of Pine Valley, represented in the map below with a black thick line.

Raising containment concerns

Officials also addressed concerns about this taking as long as it is to build containment. They say that the Saddle Fire of 2016 burned for 7 weeks before getting 100% containment and burned approximately 2,200 acres. Depending on the weather and fuels on the ground, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office has asked the community to be patient as firefighters “push themselves so hard trying to get the entire town contained to relieve the danger.”

Kelly Wickens, Prevention Specialist for Forestry Fire State Lands, State of Utah, explained more about containment and what containment percentages mean in an interview with ABC4.com.

“When we talk about percentages, say the fire is 10% contained, that means that around the perimeter of the fire, we believe that 10% of that perimeter is secure,” Wickens said. “So, we do not think that the fire will cross in that area, so that means we are confident that in that area, that the fire will no longer progress.”

Battling the fire

A warming trend is expected to continue through the weekend, bringing elevated fire weather conditions.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, with the change of storms on Monday and Tuesday, they may not only bring precipitation, but can also produce dry lightning with gusty winds, leading to increased fire behavior and the potential for new fires.

According to Mike Johnston, Incident Commander of the Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 7, whose team is leading the fight against the Forsyth Fire, said they are working along the Lloyd Canyon ridgeline and will remain in place for the next several days to help secure the southwestern flank.

On the northeast end of the fire near Grass Valley, crews were able to build handline along the fire’s edge tying it into the West Valley Fire scar, officials said.

Following successful firing operations around the summer home community, firefighters are now focused on mop-up and securing the edge in that area. Mopping up the fire means that they are extinguishing the fire or removing burning material to make the fire safer and reduce smoke.

We will be liveblogging the latest updates below.