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PANGUITCH — Newly released 911 calls paint a picture of the Brian Head Fire's early moments before it became the largest in the nation, consuming nearly 85 square miles and torching 13 homes.
A caller on June 17 told a dispatcher the blaze was getting out of control, igniting a 50-foot-by-50-foot area of aspen and pine trees, according to a call released Wednesday by the Utah Department of Public Safety.
- 58,300 acres burned
- 15% contained
His cabin was fireproof, he said, but "it's big. We need help."
"We've given up on it," he told the dispatcher in Cedar City before hanging up. "There's nothing we can do."
The caller's name was scrubbed from the recording.
A shuttle driver also called, saying someone in Parowan Canyon was burning off shrub around a cabin.
"The fire is massive," the caller said, urging the dispatcher to send an officer immediately to "talk to this landowner before he burns down Brian Head."
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert later said a torch used to clear weeds sparked the fire.
On Wednesday, fire control managers said the fire was less forceful and the outlook was improving.
The evacuations of the town of Brian Head is set to be lifted Friday, town manager Bret Howser said. Power is back on to Brian Head, but phone and internet service might not be available. Entrance can only be made from state Route 148.
Service trucks will be able to get in Thursday to resupply restaurants and stores. Visitors are cautioned to bring cash because credit card machines might not work.
Cooler weather is also was expected to bring smoky inversions to the area.
Anyone sensitive to the smoke, especially youngsters and the elderly, should try to stay inside, the Great Basin Interagency Incident Management Team said in a prepared statement.
The fire was at 54,200 acres Wednesday as 1,700 firefighters held containment at 15 percent. A red-flag warning is in place again Thursday.
Officials said the wildfire made a run toward the Indian Hollow area late Tuesday. The Brian Head Fire is currently the largest wildfire burning in the U.S.
Utah Fire Info tweeted Wednesday that 276 of 303 wildfires sparked in the the state this year have been human-caused, and urged people to avoid using any objects that can spark a wildfire near dry vegetation.
Contributing: Nicole Vowell, Carter Williams
