This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Timely rain showers, higher humidity and cooler temperatures had crews cautiously optimistic about finally gaining the upper hand on southwestern Utah's stubborn Saddle Wildfire during the coming holiday weekend.
About 550 firefighters — working with bulldozers, picks and shovels on the ground, and reinforced by flights of water- and fire-retardant laden air tankers and helicopters above — labored Friday with the nearly three-week-old, lightning sparked blaze at 1,540 acres and 42 percent contained.
The voluntary evacuation for Pine Valley area summer homes was partially reduced, easing fears the fire jump its lines 25 miles north of St. George.
Crews were gaining confidence that hard work over the past week to shore up existing fire breaks, and cut new ones, would safeguard property, but properties near Lloyd Canyon remained under voluntary evacuation, fire officials said, specifically property south on Lloyd Canyon Drive at the Mahogany Lane intersection and south on Oakridge Drive and Mahogany Lane.
Thunderstorms that moved into the region Thursday continued to wet smoldering Saddle Mountain. What flareups and fiery runs there were had been turning back toward previously unburned, upslope swaths of conifer, pinyon, juniper and brush within the fire's perimeter, Fire Incident Commander Bill Hahnenberg said.
"On the west end, the fire has spread into lower elevations and gentler terrain that is allowing direct attack [by ground crews]," he added. "Additional direct attack across the northern flank is being evaluated since the live fuel moistures in the lower elevation brush fuels are currently limiting fire spread."
Still, Hahnenberg warned that the same storms that so far had aided firefighters could also bring setbacks, should winds build and shift flames downslope, or lighting ignite spots fires in still-dry, previously untouched cheat-grass, sage and timber.
Crews were especially watchful of the fire's approaches to the Lloyd and Forsyth canyons. Rainfall has helped slow any growth, but it also has delayed some back-burning operations planned to deny the fire fuels to advance.
Fire managers were anxious about the potential for illegal fireworks — they are banned on all state and federal forest and rangelands this weekend — sparking new blazes. Also of concern, with holiday revelers out in force, is any reoccurance of drone flights over the Saddle Wildfire's 5-mile exclusion zone.
Authorities remind drone pilots that violating the air space — as has happened three times since the fire began on June 13, grounding firefighting aircraft — is punishable as a misdemeanor or felony, with resulting fines and jail or prison time, under state and federal law.
Dixie National Forest's Pine Valley Recreation Area remains closed through the weekend, along with all its campgrounds, roads and trails.
Twitter: @remims