A fire reportedly sparked by a Sevier County man on Wednesday reignited Saturday, threatening homes, closing one road and slowing travel on Interstate 70.
Police said the man started the fire Wednesday morning along the banks of a canal near 425 South and Old Highway 89 in Elsinore, a small town south of Richfield on I-70.
When the man left the fire unattended, it grew and burned a shed and a mobile home, the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.
Fire crews tamed the flames but had to come back later that day when high winds picked up and reignited them. The same thing happened Saturday, when National Weather Service forecasters issued a hazardous weather outlook for the bottom two-thirds of the state because of high temperatures and winds.
Smoke from the blaze forced authorities to close Old Highway 89 and has slowed traffic on I-70. Flames also threatened a home and forced neighbors to evacuate.
“Please stay out of the area and let first responders do their job,” the sheriff’s office said.
Crews from the Elsinore, Monroe and Richfield fire departments responded to the blaze. A dispatch operator said Saturday evening that crews were able to put the fire out and all road closures have been lifted.
Police cited the man who started the fire on Wednesday with reckless burning.
Follow @PaightenHarkins