MOAB — Anticipating heavy winds this afternoon, fire crews were trying Wednesday to quickly contain a wildfire burning in a wetlands preserve area on the city's west end.
The fire started about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday on the Nature Conservancy Matheson Preserve, just off Highway 191 near the Colorado River. The preserve is full of cottonwood trees, bull rush, heavy brush and other combustible materials, said Moab Fire Chief Corky Brewer.
As of Wednesday morning, the fire was about 400 acres.
Three camp sites, including at least one RV park, were evacuated as a precaution and at least one motel opted to put guests into another motel, he said. About 200 people total were evacuated. The fire came within 150 to 200 feet of one of the camp sites before crews were able to divert it.
There was zero containment and no estimate on when the fire would be contained as of 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. But the fire was burning along the Colorado River, safely away from any structures, said Jason Curry, with the State Division of Forestry.
A helicopter arrived at the scene Wednesday afternoon to dump buckets of water.
The blaze was active on two fronts, Curry said, and could cause a problem again later depending on how the wind blows.
Because there are no utilities in the wetlands and there was no lightning Tuesday night, investigators believe the fire is human caused.
Residents and travelers through the area are encouraged to drive with caution due to the heavy smoke and presence of emergency vehicles along the road. — Pat Reavy