St. GEORGE – A brush fire is burning near 2500 E Waters Edge, just south of the Virgin River near Mall Drive.
Cars burn and smoke as a brush fire burns near the Virgin River and Mall Drive in St George, May 9, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Britney Christensen, St. George News
In a Facebook post from police in St. George, Officer Tiffany Mitchell said, “There’s a big fire we’re dealing with.”
The reporter from St. George News Mori Kessler is on the scene and reports that flames have engulfed a farm field.
“Just when it looks like the fire is going down, the wind blows it back up,” Kessler reported at 4:18 p.m.
Firefighters and other emergency crews are on the scene to fight the fire.
Eyewitness Jay Lane, whose horses are within a quarter mile of the fire, told St. George News that his property was probably spared because of the wind.
Smoke and flames from a brush fire near Mall Drive and the Virgin River in St. George, May 9, 2023. Jay Lane, who owns horse stables near the fire, said thick vegetation in the area has made it difficult to reach. fire for fire brigades | Photo courtesy of Jay Lane, St. George News
“Fortunately, the river and the wind pushed the fire onto itself,” Lane said. “The wood and vegetation along the river is so thick there.
“The biggest challenge is that there are no roads in the heart of the area, so the fire department has been limited to trying to build firebreaks.”
15:10: First emergency call for brush fire between Mall Drive and Bella Rosa.
3:23 p.m.: Washington City and Santa Clara-Ivins Fire Departments mutual aid response.
4:10 p.m.: Agricultural field surrounded by flames.
4:13 p.m.: The incident command announces that there are no evacuations at this time.
5 pm: Mori Kessler reports the following: “The fire is behind a stable area and the wind has been blowing pretty well for a while with the burn in a wooded/brush area. It looks like firefighters have knocked the fire, but there are flames with the wind.”
“When the flames came through, you could hear the sound of wood burning and popping from an outlet, like a bonfire.”
“A lot of people from the surrounding neighborhood come out to see the fire.”
“There is a fog in the area due to the smoke.”
5:25 p.m.: Fire crews are preparing to put a back burn, or controlled burn, on the north side of the fire.
Photo gallery
In this May 9, 2023 aerial photo, smoke and flames are seen from a brush fire near Mall Drive in St. George | Photo by Shane Brinkerhoff, St. George News
In this May 9, 2023 aerial photo, smoke and flames are seen from a brush fire near Mall Drive in St. George | Photo by Shane Brinkerhoff, St. George News
Smoke and flames from a brush fire near Mall Drive in St. George, May 9, 2023 | Photo by Sheldon Demke, St. George News
Smoke and flames from a brush fire near Mall Drive in St. George, May 9, 2023 | Photo of E. Gorge Goold, St. George News
In this May 9, 2023 aerial photo, smoke and flames are seen from a brush fire near Mall Drive in St. George | Photo by Shane Brinkerhoff, St. George News
In this May 9, 2023 aerial photo, smoke and flames are seen from a brush fire near Mall Drive in St. George | Photo by Shane Brinkerhoff, St. George News
Smoke and flames from a brush fire near Mall Drive in St. George, May 9, 2023 | Photo by Jenn Amico, St. George News
Smoke and flames from a brush fire near Mall Drive in St. George, May 9, 2023 | Photo by Jenn Amico, St. George News
Cars burn and smoke as a brush fire burns near the Virgin River and Mall Drive in St George, May 9, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Britney Christensen, St. George News
Smoke and flames from a brush fire near Mall Drive and the Virgin River in St. George, May 9, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Nicole Burgess, St. George News
Smoke and flames from a brush fire near Mall Drive and the Virgin River in St. George, May 9, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Nicole Burgess, St. George News
Smoke and flames from a brush fire near Mall Drive and the Virgin River in St. George, May 9, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Paola Wilson, St. George News
Smoke and flames from a brush fire near Mall Drive and the Virgin River in St. George, May 9, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Paola Wilson, St. George News
Smoke and flames from a brush fire near Mall Drive and the Virgin River in St. George, May 9, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Silvia Rivera, St. George News
Smoke and flames from a brush fire near Mall Drive and the Virgin River in St. George, May 9, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Silvia Rivera, St. George News
Smoke and flames from a brush fire near Mall Drive and the Virgin River in St. George May 9, 2023 Jay Lane, who owns stables near the fire, said the thick vegetation in the area has made it difficult to reach. fire for fire brigades | Photo courtesy of Jay Lane, St. George News
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.
Mori Kessler is a senior reporter for the St. George News, having served as a writer and interim editor in 2011-12, and as deputy editor from 2012 to mid-2014. Began freelance news writing in 2009 for Today in Dixie and joined the editorial staff of St. George News in mid-2010. He enjoys photography and won a photojournalism award from the Society of Professional Journalists for a 2018 photo of a bee inspector removing wild bees from a home in Washington City. He’s also a shameless nerd and has a poor sense of direction.
