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ALTON, Kane County — A small group of people who were evacuated from their homes as a result of a fire in southern Utah on Tuesday will be allowed to return to their homes on Saturday morning.
In a social media post, the Kane County Sheriff's Office said the roadblock will be removed at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning, allowing residents back in.
"This recommendation was made by the Incident Management Team based on current fire behavior and predicted weather," the post read, in part.
The sheriff's office explained that a mixture of moisture, reduced temperatures and higher humidity in the area is allowing firefighters to make progress on the perimeter of the fire, though the fire is still active.
The evacuated area, Bryce Woodlands Estates, included about 300 properties and about 100 cabins surrounded by wooded areas, however, only about 20 people were evacuated as many of the structures are vacation homes.
Residents were allowed to return home with an escort to retrieve personal items on Wednesday, but were asked to minimize the time that they were within the closed off area.
The statement advised residents to continue following updates on the county's Emergency Notification System and cooperate with local fire agencies and a structure assessment team as they assess homes in the area for defensible space.
"This will help with the current fire and future potential incidents in a community that is highly susceptible to wildland fire," the statement read.
An update on the fire was provided earlier Friday, stating the fire, which started on May 9, has burned 4,241 acres and is expected to be fully contained by the start of August. It is currently 5% contained and has threatened 50 structures, but none have been destroyed to this point.
