Utah fire crews are feeling the strain as a spate of wildfires char the Beehive State.
“It’s a matter of, resources are really running ragged,” said Kayli Guild, a spokesperson for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. “It’s just such a busy time of year.”
Guild urged Utahns to understand that sparking a wildfire will pull resources that are already stretched throughout the state.
“You’re going to impact somebody else’s life,” she said, “if you start a fire.”
Her comments came as crews battled 11 large blazes across Utah in a fire season that has already claimed more than 42,000 acres.
The most recent large fire, Third Canyon Fire, was discovered north of Cedar City on Friday in a remote part of Iron County by crews who were on their way to fight another wildfire, Guild said.
Gusts grew the fire from 400 acres to 731 acres overnight. High winds, sizzling temperatures and low humidity are supposed to continue through Sunday, Guild said.
For now, she said, the flames are not threatening any structures.
On Saturday morning, the Third Canyon Fire, sparked by lightning, was allocated air resources that are becoming increasingly precious.
“Everyone,” Guild said, “is fighting for them nationally.”
Air resources — equipment like helicopters and tanker planes — are generally deployed to areas of priority, such as places near communities or infrastructure. If another fire starts, the air resources at the remote Third Canyon Fire will more than likely go somewhere else, Guild said.
Later Saturday, a new fire was identified in Washington County near Virgin, and air resources flew to firefighters’ aid.
The human-caused Kolob Fire threatened 20 homes in the area of Kolob Terrace Road, Guild said. The road was closed and those in the area were told to evacuate.
As of Saturday afternoon, the fires pulling the most resources in the Beehive State included the Speirs Fire near Flaming Gorge, the Graff Point Fire near Cedar City, and the Dikker Hill Fire near Echo Reservoir, Guild said. All three are over 80% contained.
Utah shares fire resources with Idaho and Nevada — states that are also seeing an influx of wildfires, Guild said.