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NEW HARMONY--A raging wildfire in southern Utah is forcing residents to evacuate as firefighters try to get a handle on the blaze.
The growth of the Mill Flat Fire has taken a lot of people by surprise--doubling in size in 24 hours. The fire is burning in the Pine Valley Mountains between Cedar City and St. George, and the blaze is affecting the town of New Harmony.
"The garage was on fire last night. They kept the engine on it. They just had the engine on there to watch it all night. Thank goodness our house is still there," said Kelly Houser, whose mother's home was damaged by the fire.
The home was one of eight structures damaged last night. Three homes were burned down by the flames; 170 people have been displaced most voluntarily.
"We were kind of wondering if we were going to have a house, but as it looks right now--to me, it looks a lot better," said homeowner Don Ondrisko.
The fire has burned about 10,000 acres now. It was started on July 25 by a lightning strike and had been burning safely under Forest Service supervision until it got out of control Saturday.
"The winds we had yesterday and today were not forecasted as strong as they have been. They were stronger," said Bevan Killpack, spokesman for the Dixie National Forest Service.
Those winds pushed the fire into New Harmony, a town that's now charred land.
"I'm upset about the whole thing," Ondrisko said.
Ondrisko lives in New Harmony Heights and thinks the fire should have been stopped a while ago.
"I think the rules need to be changed," he said. "I'm not blaming the Forest Service, not blaming the fire department. I'm blaming the government."
The governor visited New Harmony Sunday and spoke about taking a closer look at the rules for controlled burns in designated wilderness areas.
"I'm not sure we're using the best practices to manage our wilderness. And in fact, in doing what we're doing now, we've obviously seen an example where it wasn't the best practice," Herbert said.
By Sunday evening, most of the residents in New Harmony were allowed back into their homes. The fire has died down significantly, but there are still about 25 homes on the outskirts of town that are threatened.
On Monday, 300 to 400 Type I teams from all over the Intermountain region will be assisting in fighting the fire. Crews expect to use several air tankers and helicopters in the morning when the winds are calm.
The Dixie National Forest Service thinks it could take another five to seven days to put out the fire.
This isn't the first time New Harmony has felt threatened by fire. In 2002, the 8,000-acre Sequoia Fire moved toward the town. Fire crews created a 50-foot-wide fuel break on Dixie National Forest land while evacuation plans were made. Fortunately, the winds changed and no property was damaged in New Harmony.
And in 2000, the Harmon Creek Fire burned nearly 500 acres. It and several other fires to the west of town prompted the Forest Service in 2001 to name the area around New Harmony a focus zone. Since then the agency has worked to reduce hazardous fuels on public lands and to develop a community fire plan.
E-mail: ngonzales@ksl.com
