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SALT LAKE CITY (AP/KSL) -- A voluntary evacuation order for the small southern Utah town of Gunlock was lifted Sunday, after thunderstorms passed and winds shifted, forcing the fire away from the community of about 80 homes.
The Washington County sheriff's office called for a voluntary evacuation Saturday night after the winds off a thunderstorm pushed the lightning-triggered Cove Mountain fire south, fire information officer Bob Summerfield said. The fire burned within a mile of Gunlock, a home to roughly 200 people that sits about 20 miles northwest of St. George.
It's unclear how many residents heeded warnings to leave, Summerfield said. A fire protection team spent the night in town as a precaution.
That team remained in place Sunday, while fire crews worked to strengthen fire break lines between Gunlock and the southern edge of the fire, he said.
Authorities have closed Gunlock State Park, and several roads in the area, including State Route 18, and Crestline Road between the town of Enterprise and the Utah-Nevada border to the public for safety reasons.
Meanwhile, fire crews continue fight the trio of blazes known as the Bull Complex fire, which by Sunday had consumed 24,477 acres of cheatgrass, Pinion and Juniper trees about 25 miles northwest of St. George.
No containment percentages were available midday Sunday.
More than 540 firefighters are fighting the blazes, with support from four helicopters, several air tankers and reconnaissance planes.
The complex of fires -- the Bill, Gold and Lost Peak which burned together on Friday -- have been fanned by erratic, hot winds, lightning and afternoon thunderstorms with little moisture, Summerfield said.
Weather reports for Sunday predicted similar weather patterns to continue, he said.
Lightning over the past four days has resulted in 76 new fire starts near the border of Utah and the portion of Arizona known as the Arizona strip. Most have been quickly contained.
And, near the Grand Canyon, rain helped stabilize a huge fire that consumed 58,000 acres. The Canyon's North Rim will reopen for tourists tomorrow morning.
In much of Utah, officials are urging restraint in the use of fireworks because of the extreme conditions.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
