3,000 acres and growing: Cottonwood Trail Fire, 4th wildfire in southern Utah in a week, forces evacuation
A wildfire in southern Utah has forced evacuations in two towns and spread over 3,000 acres – the region's fourth wildfire in a week.
Two towns, Leeds and Harrisburg, were evacuated Sunday, shortly after the Cottonwood Trail Fire started along Interstate 15. A blown tire along the highway caused the blaze, Utah Fire Info said. A portion of the interstate was closed early Sunday evening.
After a couple of hours, the fire reached 3,000 acres and was growing. Winds of 15-20 mph pushed the flames, which was threatening structures.
Thirty engines, three large air tankers and four helicopters from multiple agencies responded to assist in suppressing the fire, according to Utah Fire Info. The agency first reported the fire at 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time
Each of the four fires in Southern Utah over the past week has spread over at least 1,000 acres.
The Turkey Farm Road, West Veyo and Big Summit fires burned through red-flag level heat and windy conditions last week as hundreds of firefighters battled blazes between St. George and Cedar City.
The Turkey Farm Road Fire burning north of St. George was held at 11,993 acres as of Friday. The Veyo West Fire had spread to 2,618 acres as of Thursday and forced residents to evacuate their homes. The Big Summit fire grew over 5,000 acres, forcing Iron County to evacuate 20 homes.
Follow Chris Kwiecinski on Twitter: @OchoK_
This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Utah fire: Cottonwood Trail Fire forces Leeds, Harrisburg evacuation
