A fast-moving wildfire has destroyed a pair of primary homes and a pair of secondary homes as it continues to burn in southeast Utah, state officials say.
It also burned five outbuildings, including a U.S. Forest Service facility, said Kayli Guild, fire prevention and communications coordinator for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, in an update Friday. She added that about 250 people remain evacuated as the fire continues to threaten about 20 additional homes.
State officials are urging people to avoid the area and to keep the roads as clear as possible for firefighters. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office expanded its evacuation order, which now extends from Upper 2 Mile Road to the Utah-Colorado border, or within 5 miles of the fire.
“Residents in this zone should continue to follow all evacuation instructions from emergency services,” the agency wrote in an alert.
The fire started Thursday on private property in the La Sal area — a small community located between Moab and Monticello — quickly growing in size amid hot, dry and windy conditions. The fire has burned about 4,000 acres and remains 0% contained.
While winds haven’t been strong enough for the National Weather Service to issue a red flag warning, “hot, dry and breezy conditions” remain in the area, Guild wrote in an update earlier Friday. Crews have been working to bolster containment lines along the ridge above state Route 46 in the area.
A local Type 3 team, meant for handling larger fires, is expected to take over firefighting operations this weekend.
State officials say they’re still investigating what caused the fire. Evacuees are urged to go to the La Sal Recreation Community Center along SR 46 in La Sal.