This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Brian Head • The Brian Head Fire on Thursday threatened another resort community after racing 8 miles north and doubling in size overnight.

Spurred by strong overnight winds, the blaze grew "at an unprecedented rate," covering more than 27,000 acres by Friday morning and spanning Iron and Garfield counties in southern Utah, fire officials said.

The wildfire was closing in on about 400 cabins near the north and west sides of Panguitch Lake, forcing the evacuation of an unknown number of people, Garfield County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Denise Dastrup said Thursday.

Brian Head also remains under evacuation orders, and nearby areas with cabins — including Dry Lakes, Clear Creek, Beaver Dam and Horse Valley — were evacuated Wednesday, fire officials said.

Dastrup said three cabins and two other structures were destroyed by the fire in the Horse Valley area and that the sheriff's office had extended the closure of State Route 143 to Panguitch. That means visitors and cabin owners can no longer reach the lake, which is about 12 miles southwest of Panguitch.

The highway remains closed from Parowan to Cedar Breaks National Monument.

"It's looking pretty bad," said Alan Ekanger, whose family runs the Rocky Point Boat Dock, a fishing boat rental business on the north side of Panguitch Lake.

The family evacuated from its cabin Wednesday night. Two fishing groups were out on the water Wednesday, Ekanger said, though usually there would be about 10. No new customers can arrive due to the highway closure.

Ekanger said he fielded calls all day from tourists concerned about their trips to the lake in the coming days. There were no easy answers, however, as officials have not provided a timeline on when the highway will reopen or when people will be allowed back to their cabins.

The area is filled with smoke, Ekanger said, though no flames were visible at the lake. After being evacuated Wednesday night, the Ekanger family slept on its pirate-style pontoon boat on the opposite side of the lake farthest from the fire.

"This is my life, this is our family business," Ekanger said. "It's kind of hard to see a fire coming toward it."

Jim Facciuto, general manager of the Panguitch Lake Resort on the south side of the lake, said the fishing destination was operating as usual Wednesday, though no new visitors were able to arrive. Only two customers had left, and about 30 decided to stick around, despite some "pretty nasty" smoky conditions, he said.

"They evacuated the north shore of the lake, that was mandatory, but we were on the safe side," Facciuto said, adding the south side doesn't have many trees or shrubs that could burn.

When the human-caused fire broke out Saturday near Brian Head, it forced the evacuation of about 750 residents and visitors from the resort town, which is about 12 miles south of Parowan.

One Brian Head home was destroyed Saturday, and three were damaged, officials have said.

The fire also has burned around the Thunder Ridge Boy Scout Camp, which sustained minimal damage, thanks to firefighters working through the night, said Shayne Ward, spokesman for Utah's Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.

The fire grew from 2,761 acres to 5,000 acres on Wednesday, and by Thursday morning it had doubled again to 11,000. By Thursday night, the fire had consumed 17,294 acres with containment at 5 percent.

The number of firefighters attacking the blaze on Thursday increased to more than 800, officials said. Eleven helicopters and 34 fire engines were involved, according to a Thursday night news release from Great Basin Incident Management.

The fire was started by someone using a weed torch, according to Gov. Gary Herbert, who on Tuesday toured the burn area in a helicopter.

Officials are investigating potential criminal violations and whether the person who started it had a permit, according to Jason Curry, spokesman for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.

Twitter: @tiffany_mf