- Gov. Spencer Cox calls it a miracle more homes haven't burned in Pine Valley fire.
- Firefighters' quick response and forest treatments helped prevent further disaster.
- Cox warns of more fires, urges caution, and asks for prayers for rain.
PINE VALLEY, Washington County — Gov. Spencer Cox said Sunday "it's a miracle" no more homes have burned in the wildfire ravaging parts of southern Utah's Pine Valley Mountains.
"It's a combination of really great work and a little bit of luck, but I believe it's divine intervention as well," Cox said at a news conference, standing alongside local leaders with smoke billowing in the distance behind.
"This is a tragedy, obviously. It looks like the final count is 13 homes that were lost, and that's 13 too many. But we can replace property; we can't replace people," he said.
Fire officials said the official number, however, remains 14 homes as reported Saturday, and a few outbuildings have also been destroyed.
Meanwhile, the battle against the Forsyth Fire continues Sunday with 400 firefighters now at the scene.
Cox thanked all of the firefighters for their work.
Cox said 50-60 mph winds, with conditions as dry as they are right now, have given "voracity to it," with "random" spotting happening up to a mile away from the main fire. Crews jumping on those spots quickly have kept it from being "far more disastrous than it was," the governor added.
"Brave people putting themselves in harm's way" prevented it from spreading more, he said.
Cox also attributed the forest treatments such as grazing and logging that have taken place at Pine Valley to protect some areas, saying "we need more of them."
"The federal government believes it now," he said, adding that "blue states" are starting to believe it as well.
The federal Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team took over command of the blaze on Sunday. The fire remains 0% contained and was estimated Sunday at 5,660 acres — an over 4,000 acre increase since Saturday's mapping.
Crews Saturday "worked to extinguish hot spots in the valley bottom while continuing structure protection efforts. Over the coming days, operations staff will continue to identify safe and effective opportunities to engage the fire directly and seek containment. Firefighter and public safety are the top priority for this incident," the team managing the fire said in a news release.
Saturday evening, residents in Pinto and Grass Valley Road were urged to evacuate, Utah Fire Info said, after the fire Saturday afternoon "pushed over a mile north and up over the next ridge, north of Pine Valley." It was not immediately clear how many more residents are affected. The Pine Valley community evacuation included 450 homes.
Fire officials said "unseasonably dry fuels," low humidity and strong winds continue to contribute to fire growth.
"Yesterday the fire crossed the main road in Pine Valley and made a run up the ridgetop to the north. (Sunday) will bring a slight relief from the winds the fire has experienced since Thursday. Winds will be out of the northwest in the morning and transition to a southwest wind in the afternoon. Spotting is expected to occur outside of the fire perimeter," the team said.
Cox noted that the fire was caused by lightning about 10 days ago, and then winds picked up, and it took off.
Statewide caution
The governor had a dire warning for the rest of the state: "These are just the first of many that are likely going to happen."
With extreme fire conditions and 90-degree days on the way, "It's going to get dicey everywhere. That means we need everyone to be super focused."
While natural-caused fires can't be prevented, human-caused fires can, he said, urging people to be safe when participating in activities like target-shooting and avoid behaviors that can cause fires. If not, 2025 could end up looking like other bad fire years in Utah like 2012, when almost half a million acres burned across the state.
He and other officials also asked community members to halt donations to the crews on scene, as they've received "too many." The current Type 2 team managing the fire does not need donations and is self-sufficient.
Pine Valley Fire Chief Robert Hardy said most of the homes lost were part-time residents. Two homeowners were volunteer firefighters. He said all the victims have a lot of community support. But he asked that if Utahns want to help firefighters, they should seek out those in their own communities to show thanks.
Cox noted the damage to the historic, beloved Pine Valley community, noting areas of it look like "Mordor," referencing "Lord of the Rings."
But the historic chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the oldest in continuous use in the church, still stands.
'Those are the things that give people hope and give people hope to come back and rebuild," Cox said.
"The people of Washington County are hardy people. You didn't get here by accident, and you didn't stay here if you couldn't handle it," he said.
He asked that people whose communities may be hit by wildfires moving forward follow evacuation orders. Utah is staging helicopters across the state so they can be there for any wildfires that spark
And Cox said he will ask people to pray for rain next week.
