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PINE VALLEY, Washington County — Mandatory evacuations remained in place in Lloyd's Canyon on Wednesday as the Saddle Fire continued to grow.
Some homes in the canyon, located in the western end of Pine Valley, are only about a three-quarters of a mile from the lightning-caused fire, according to authorities. The fire grew to 823 acres as of Wednesday, more than doubling its size over two days.
In all, roughly 100 homes and dozens of other buildings are affected by the mandatory evacuation order in the canyon. About 400 other homes in Pine Valley were also issued voluntary evacuation orders. The Pine Valley Recreation Area was evacuated and closed Tuesday. Trails into the Pine Valley Wilderness Area and Baker Reservoir were also closed.
Gov. Gary Herbert visited Washington County on Wednesday to speak about the fire and add his plea to that of local police that drone users stay away from the fire area.
There were three drone sightings in three days at the Saddle Fire, including one incident Monday in which a drone came within feet of a helicopter combatting the fire, the U.S. Forest Service reported. All firefighting aircraft were grounded Monday because of the incident.
"Be smart. Those who have got drones, you have no business being here getting in the way of our first responders, our emergency personnel (or) certainly in the pathway of aircraft that are trying to put the fire out … in (a) way that endangers their lives," Herbert said. "That’s just unacceptable."
The Washington County Sheriff's Office, which said there was also an unconfirmed report of a drone near the fire Wednesday, has offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest related to the incidents.
Drone interference with a fire is a misdemeanor under a Utah law that went into effect last month and may also incur federal penalties. The state law makes drone violations a felony if a drone hits firefighting equipment or causes a crash.
Herbert expressed frustration with the drone violations, saying "what we’re finding out here today (is) … we may need to beef up the law."
He also said it's possible that evacuations wouldn't have been needed if not for the drone interruptions hampering the firefight.
"This is the beginning of the fire season. Let’s not have this happen again," the governor said. "Let's not have drones in the way, inhibiting the suppression of the fire by those who are going out there and putting themselves in harm’s way. Again, this is just common sense, so let’s bring a little common sense to this issue."
Washington County Sheriff Cory Pulsipher issued a warning to whoever may be responsible for the drone interference.
"If I find them, I'm going to book them in jail. It's not going to be a citation," he said.
Police have civilian help looking for drones, too. Bob Tackleberry, who lives in Orem, decided to drive down to southern Utah to help spot any interference.
"They are extremely hard to spot," he said.
Tackleberry added that whoever has been causing the interference "probably wants to get that photo — that moment. 'Hey, I've got this photo' could be a rush for them."
The Saddle Fire, which first ignited June 13, is challenging because it is centered on steep, rough terrain, the Forest Service has said, about 2 1Ž2 miles southwest of Pine Valley. About 355 fire personnel were battling the blaze Wednesday. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has authorized funds to finance up to 75 percent of the cost of fighting the Saddle Fire.
The fire remained zero percent contained late Wednesday. However, Pulsipher left open the possibility of residents returning to their homes as early as Thursday.
"These are people’s homes and we want them back in there as soon they can, but we don’t want to put people’s lives at risk," Pulsipher said.
Crews are using firelines to divert the wildfire and are also paying close attention to wind conditions, according to the sheriff. He said he's cautiously optimistic that no homes will be lost.
"We’re watching the fire behavior with the winds and what the weather’s doing," Pulsipher said.
Pine Valley resident Kathy Snow expressed her nervousness at the fire being "right here at our back door."
"Just keep praying for us that the fire will die down and they'll be able to get a good handle on it," Snow said.
Contributing: Ladd Egan, Nicole Vowell
