Forsyth Fire crosses 8,000 acres, fire weather critical with overall drying trend

PINE VALLEY, Utah (ABC4) — The Forsyth Fire that is been burning since Thursday, June 19 has now crossed 8,229 acres and remains at 0% containment, according to the latest information released by the U.S. Forest Service- Dixie National Forest.

As of Tuesday morning, a total of 509 personnel are responding to the fire. Officials say they expect winds at the speed of 15-20 mph to come in from the southwest. They see an overall drying trend, raising the potential for critical fire weather as the weekend approaches, with potential red flag warnings Thursday and Friday.

Evacuation orders are still in place for Pine Valley and Grass Valley. Residents of Pinto are on standby.

Sloped terrain, unseasonably dry fuels, low humidity, and strong winds continue to drive
fire growth on the east side of the fire, according to the latest press release from the U.S. Forest Service.

Tackling the wildfire

On Monday, firefighters rappelled from helicopters into areas near the old burn scar on the southwest edge of the fire. On Tuesday, crews will continue on the southwest ridgeline and begin work in Lloyd Canyon to protect structures in the area, Mike Johnston, Incident Commander with the Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 7 noted in the release.

Crews are working on protecting Pine Valley Recreation Area campgrounds, laying hose lines and reducing fire activity. As of Monday, 13 structures have been destroyed.