Human-caused fire in Washington County extinguished

UPDATE 8:20 p.m. 7/20 — The Washington County Sheriff’s Office posted an update on social media to say that fire crews were saying the fire was under control.

Road closures were not expected while crews were cleaning up the fire.

“We would like to thank everyone for their cooperation and patience with this, as well as all the hard work of the fire personnel,” the sheriff’s office said in the update.

The fire was determined to be caused by human activity, according to the Utah Wildfire Dashboard .

ORIGINAL STORY: Fire breaks out in Washington County, crews responding

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah ( ABC4 ) — A new fire broke out in Washington County on Saturday afternoon, and officials asked drivers and residents to avoid the area of Brookside in southern Utah.

Around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office posted on social media to inform the public about a fire near Brookside. Utah Fire Info later confirmed that the fire was burning about 10 to 15 acres but was 20% contained on Saturday.

Officials said more than five structures were threatened, but there were no closures or evacuations issued as of Saturday. The fire was active on Saturday, and Utah Fire Info said the cause of the fire was unknown and was under investigation.

Fire crews and deputies from the sheriff’s office were at the scene to fight the blaze, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Utah Fire Info said local, state, and federal resources were responding to the fire.

“Please be patient as some roads may need to be intermittently closed for responder access,” the sheriff’s office said. “If you see fire hoses across roadways please do not drive across them.”

The forward progression of the fire was stopped on Saturday afternoon, and crews were working to secure the fire line, according to Utah Fire Info.

There is no further information at this time.

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