Crews lose ground on Hicks Creek Fire after embers jump fire line

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Crews fighting the Hicks Creek Fire in Iron County lost ground Friday afternoon when high winds blew embers outside the fire line, putting firefighters in danger and increasing the burned acreage by 300 acres.

The community of Cedar Highlands was asked to prepare for evacuations should they become necessary, the Iron County Sheriff's Office reported Saturday.

The wind-blown embers that jumped a road being used as a fire break caused several spot fires, leaving firefighters with flames burning uphill toward them, according to a news release.

The threat to firefighter safety one end of the fire line caused fire managers to move those crews to a safety zone, while crews on the other end began fighting the main fire and the spot fires by hand, with the help of helicopter bucket drops. But the size and intensity of fire caused them to have to pull back, as well, according to a news release.

The fire, burning about 4 miles southeast of Cedar City, had consumed 1,413 acres and was 35 percent contained as of Saturday afternoon.

Nine crews, comprising about 250 people, and three helicopters were working in advance of high winds expected later Saturday, the news release said.

Additional aircraft were ordered in preparation for increased fire behavior, the news release said.

Incident managers, meanwhile, were watching the weather forecast, which predicted some much-needed rain falling on the area as early as Sunday afternoon and into Monday.

Road closures remained in effect for the Hicks Creek area. The sheriff's office, noting that public traffic along Old Highway 91 and the Kanarra Mountain Road had increased, reminded motorists not stop on the roadways.

No structures have been lost to the fire, but a camp trailer was burned.

The blaze began Oct. 16 when a controlled burn on private property apparently rekindled due to high winds, officials have said.