Neola, Utah – A wildfire that has scorched about 46 square miles in northeastern Utah and killed three people has prompted the evacuation of hundreds of people from nearby towns and forced authorities to close a national forest to the public.
The fire started Friday morning north of Neola, about 150 miles east of Salt Lake City, and on Sunday morning crews had it about 5 percent contained. The cause had not been determined.
The fire began spreading into the Ashley National Forest Sunday, prompting federal authorities to close it to public use.
The small communities of Whiterocks, Farm Creek, Paradise and Tridell were evacuated Saturday. Some residents in Tridell were allowed to return.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said about 300 people are under a mandatory evacuation. Another 150 homes in Dryfork Canyon, about 8 miles northeast of the fire, could be threatened by Tuesday, said a FEMA spokesman.
“We are seeing extreme fire behavior, and the potential for growth is still there,” said Louis Haynes, a spokesman for the national forest.
At nearby Vernal, there was little wind Sunday, the temperature hit 95 degrees and midday humidity was 10 percent, according to the National Weather Service.
Edson Gardner of Fort Du chesne went to Farm Creek to evacuate his mother, whose home burned to the ground.
“It came down the canyon like a herd of horses,” he said.
A U.S. Forest Service command team that travels the country fighting the largest fires joined local crews Sunday and took over direction of the firefighting efforts.
Eleven-year-old Duane Houston escaped the fire, but his father, 43-year-old Tracy Houston, and his grandfather, 63-year-old George Houston, were killed by the flames Friday as they worked in a hay field, authorities said. The owner of the field, 75-year- old Roger Roberson, died at a hospital, officials said.
The Houstons had gone to buy hay from Roberson and were helping him move irrigation sprayers on his field in an attempt to block the flames.
Duane said he was told to run for their truck as flames and smoke filled the air.
“I ran and couldn’t find the truck, so I kept running through trees, climbed two fences and followed the road,” he told The Salt Lake Tribune.
He was treated at a hospital and released.
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s request for aid from FEMA was granted Sunday.
