Torch-caused wildfire burns 8 acres near Cedar City, Enoch

CEDAR CITY — A wind-whipped fire burned 8 acres Tuesday night near Cedar City, but firefighters from multiple agencies were able to fully contain the blaze within a few hours.

Destroyed farm equipment at the scene of the Covered Wagon Fire near Cedar City and Enoch, Utah, Oct. 1, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, St. George News / Cedar City News

According to a news release issued Tuesday night by Mike Melton, fire management officer for Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, the fire started at 5:44 p.m. in an unincorporated area of Iron County just north of Cedar City and south of the Enoch City limits. The fire reached the edge of properties on the southern end of Covered Wagon Drive in Enoch.

The fire was human caused, having been started by an acetylene torch that ignited some dry grass, the news release stated. The blaze destroyed several pieces of farm equipment and vehicles, along with one outbuilding on property located near 900 West and 3100 North.

The wind-driven fire then quickly spread across a grassy field, moving northeast until it reached the properties at the end of Covered Wagon Drive. Homeowners at the end of that street were seen dousing smoldering fences with garden hoses and pitchers of water as more firefighters arrived.

Although 15 nearby homes were threatened, no residences were damaged, authorities said, adding that no injuries were reported and no evacuations took place.

Scene of the Covered Wagon Fire near Cedar City and Enoch, Utah, Oct. 1, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The news release stated that “good survivable space” was credited with the successful defense of a couple of the threatened homes.

Although the blaze was declared 100% contained by Tuesday night, crews were still on scene late that evening doing mop-up work and taking care of hot spots.

Responding to the incident were firefighters from the Cedar City and Kanarraville fire departments, along with crews from Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands and the BLM, in addition to law enforcement officers from the Iron County Sheriff’s Office and the Enoch Police Department. A total of eight fire engines responded, plus two water tenders and a Type 3 helicopter.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!