Utah wildfire grows to 33,000 acres; containment at 5 percent
Published at
Ashton Edwards, Robert Boyd and Mark Green, KSTU
BRIAN HEAD, Utah — The Brian Head Fire has grown to 33,000 acres Friday, and the incident command center near Panguitch Lake was evacuated as the fire shifted Friday night.
Fire officials stated just before 8 p.m. the fire is now burning on 33,000 acres and is 5 percent contained. At least 800 fire personnel had responded as of Friday.
An informational graphic from the National Weather Service shows an approximation of the fire’s outline.
Informational graphic on locations being affected by the #BrianHeadFire. Not official, heed instruction from local officials!! #utwx #utfire pic.twitter.com/sM8iE9Dglq
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) June 24, 2017
Fox 13’s Lauren Steinbrecher reports that the incident command center, which was at a church and general store near Panguitch Lake, has been evacuated and is being relocated about 3 miles east to Bear Paw.
The evacuation came after a sudden shift in the fire around 5:40 p.m.
RELATED: Utah wildfire swells to 2,700 acres; forces town evacuation, threatens Boy Scout camp
The fire has also reached Utah Highway 143, and motorists are being detoured off the highway and onto a dirt road.
The fire is believed to have grown beyond the 28,000 acres reported earlier Friday, but official estimates on the size will not likely be released until later Friday evening. The last estimate put containment at 5 percent.
Panguitch Lake, Horse Valley, Beaver Dam, Blue Springs, Rainbow Meadows, Mammoth Creek, Dry Lakes, Second Left Hand Canyon and the town of Brian Head are all under evacuation by local law enforcement.
Utah DNR told Fox 13 the fire has destroyed 13 homes and eight outbuildings in the Clear Creek area.
This article was originally published by fellow CNN affiliate KSTU. It is used here with permission.