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Send us your wildfire pictures! Email them to photos@ksl.com. Please give a brief description of the photo and the name of the photographer.SALT LAKE CITY (AP/KSL News) -- Crews are battling several fires across Southern Utah tonight.
The Jarvis Fire and the Kolob Fire, both manmade, have charred nearly 30-thousand acres. The Kolob Fire came dangerously close to some homes near Zion National Park.
Governor Huntsman got a first-hand look at those fires today. He took an air tour of the two Washington County wildfires.
Tonight, the Governor is saying that things are in place in case an evacuation is necessary. The Governor says there is so much that people can do and the rest lies with Mother Nature.
Gov. Jon Huntsman: "It's breathtaking in terms of its sheer size and destructive capacity."
Gov. Jon Huntsman: "We are providing all of the support that we can, federal government-wise, state government-wise. We are fighting it by air and ground. It looks a little bit like a battle scene right now. At some point you have to leave it up to Mother Nature. The winds will take this fire where it does."
Through all that smoke on steep mountainside hills, five different agencies have formed a perimeter with picks and shovels, trying to hold the line.
Jerry Bruner, Incident Commander: "There's some stringers of canyons that are full of fuel and run the same direction as the winds, so it could push them further into Zion National Park."
Three small towns near Zion National Park were in danger Monday of losing electricity as the wildfire burned power poles.
Utility crews watched the poles burning from a distance and were standing by to make repairs, which could lead to some overnight power outages, Utah Power spokesman Dave Eskelsen said.
Eskelsen said the crews were waiting for permission from an interagency fire command to approach the 34,500-volt line. The line supplies Virgin, Rockville and Springdale, with a combined population of about 1,200, and Zion National Park.
Utility crews watched flames lap at seven line towers and were assembling replacement poles for repairs, he said. Some households may have experienced intermittent power loss because smoke can cause electrical lines to short out, he said.
The Kolob fire that threatened power lines started Saturday and had grown to 17,000 acres by late Monday, burning scrub oak, pinion and juniper, about five miles north of Virgin.
The blaze was being fought by 279 firefighters and was about 10 percent contained, said Anne Stanworth, spokeswoman for the Color Country Fire Management Area.
The fire destroyed a horse arena, a dog run and kennel, a pickup truck, a horse trailer and two generator buildings. It potentially could threaten cabins on the Kolob Terrace, where suppression efforts were concentrated, Stanworth said.
The Jarvis fire had burned 23,000 acres about 10 miles west of St. George by late Monday and was 20 percent contained, she said.
Authorities said the Jarvis fire was a threat to commercial property, utilities, Federal Aviation Administration equipment, the Joshua Tree Natural Area and desert tortoise habitat.
Crews in southern Utah also had another fire on to deal with this afternoon. It's burned near Tuacahn Ampitheater in St. George.
Crew members from the theater started the fire. They were disassembling set pieces in a canyon behind the stage.
A spark from a chopsaw is thought to be the cause.
The Bureau of Land Management brought in a helicopter to fight the fire, which moved away from the theater as it spread.
The fire is expected to be under control before this evening's production of "Peter Pan."
Two other wildfires were burning in Utah Monday.
The Pot Hole fire in Uintah County was reported to be 80 percent contained, after burning almost 1,400 acres.
The Lion Creek was 95 percent contained in the Manti-La Sal National Forest east of Moab near the Colorado border. It was reported to have burned about 1,500 acres.
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On the Net: http://www.utahfireinfo.gov/
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
