- Forsyth Fire remains 0% contained and has grown to 7,045 acres in size; 14 homes were burned in Pine Valley.
- France Canyon Fire, Utah's second-largest in five years, has now burned 23,353 acres.
- Over 1,000 firefighters are battling both fires, with hundreds still evacuated.
PINE VALLEY, Washington County — No additional structures have been lost in the Pine Valley area despite strong winds that helped the wildfire spread closer to other nearby communities over the weekend.
The Forsyth Fire, which already destroyed 14 homes and four other structures, has now scorched 7,045 acres of land and remains 0% contained, according to Mike Johnston, incident commander for Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 7, which assumed control over the firefighting operations.
A mix of strong wind gusts, low relative humidity and warm temperatures — known as red flag conditions — made firefighting operations difficult on Friday and Saturday, but conditions improved on Sunday to allow an air resources team to drop fire retardant along a "prominent ridgeline" to slow the fire's ability to advance, Johnston said in an update Monday.
"Crews worked diligently throughout the day to mop up and extinguish hot spots behind structures, reaching up to 100 feet into the burned area," he added. "From the valley floor up toward Water Canyon, firefighters have been constructing a handline that will connect to a dozer line coming in from the north."
Over 280 firefighters are currently assigned to battle the fire. Calmer winds and cooler conditions are also in Monday's forecast, but Johnston said hotter and drier conditions forecast for later this week could spark more "critical fire weather." Dry conditions in the area have also made fighting the fire difficult.
Hundreds of people in the Pine Valley and Grass Valley areas remain under evacuation, while the Pinto area could be evacuated if the fire moves further northwest. A community meeting is scheduled for Pine Valley and Grass Valley residents at 6 p,m. Monday. It will take place at the Central Fire Station, 155 E. Center Street in Central, Washington County.
Gov. Spencer Cox toured the site on Sunday, calling it a "miracle" that the lightning-caused fire didn't burn more homes. A map of the fire shows that the fire crept toward the community after starting on Thursday, but its growth has spread north and east of the community.
"It's a combination of really great work and a little bit of luck, but I believe it's divine intervention as well," he said. "This is a tragedy, obviously. ... But we can replace property; we can't replace people."
France Canyon fire threatens campground
Meanwhile, a wildfire burning near Bryce Canyon also grew over the weekend and threatened a campground in the area.
The France Canyon Fire has now burned 23,353 acres since it began on June 11, according to an update by the U.S. Forest Service on Monday. That now makes it Utah's second-largest wildfire over the past five years, behind last year's Yellow Lake Fire that burned over 33,000 acres in the Wasatch Backcountry.
It was listed at 9,575 acres on Friday, but red flag conditions over the weekend resulted in the fire doubling in size. A tactical firefighting operation team was deployed to Kings Creek Campground Sunday afternoon to help protect it as the fire began approaching the area, Forest Service officials said.
Nearly 750 firefighting personnel are assigned to battle the lightning-caused fire, which is now 10% contained. Smoke from the fire may continue to impact nearby communities like Bryce Canyon, Escalante, Enoch and Panguitch this week.
