Utah officials release 911 call of man who apparently started fire

The Brian Head fire spread another 600 acres overnight, with fire officials concerned a red flag warning today may lead to more growth.

Officials ordered the evacuation of 1,400 residents in the central Arizona town of Mayer Tuesday afternoon as a large wildfire continued to advance on the area.

Eleven days after Utah’s massive Brian Head wildfire erupted, evacuated residents are poised to be given the all-clear signal to return home this Friday.

The Frye Fire burns the western edge of the Pinaleño Mountains in Coronado National Forest above Ft.

A large fire that began with a lightning strike on June 7 has burned more almost 60 square miles.

Firefighters in Southern California were battling a fast-moving wildfire on Sunday that closed a highway and forced residents from their homes around the area of Santa Clarita, a city north of Los Angeles, authorities said. The fire started after a single vehicle collision. The winds, combined with high heat and low humidity, have greatly elevated fire conditions along the the hillsides leading into the San Gorgonio Pass, experts say.

The flames have already destroyed at least 20 buildings and hundreds of people have been evacuated. As always, we are indebted to the firefighters, first responders and local community leaders who are managing and fighting this fire, as well as the many other fires throughout the state right now.

While firefighters made good progress over the weekend, Monday saw winds of 30 miles per hour, which increased fire activity, according to Utah Fire.

The wildfires burning in Utah and Arizona continue to be made worse by high temperatures, gusty winds, and dry thunderstorms.

As fire containment lines increase on portions of the fire, the assigned resources will be shifted to more active portions of the fire.

Recordings of 911 calls in Utah reflect panic that the callers experienced just after flames that turned into a major wildfire were sparked by someone using a weed-burning torch near the southern ski town of Brian Head. Another, crew left that same day for the fire in the Beaver Canyon near Strawberry Reservoir. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Those statistics don’t count any of the fires that began burning in June, including the 27 fires now burning across 11 states.

In California, a vehicle accident started a fire in Santa Clarita in Los Angeles County, triggering mandatory evacuations in some neighbourhoods, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The dispatcher then asked the caller about the size of the fire, to which the owner replied: “It’s a forest!” One woman said, “I just hope I can go back to rotten food in the freezer and the refrigerator stinks like all get out”.