Home Care In New Harmony, UT

NEW HARMONY — A wildfire burned 3-5 acres of brush early Thursday evening alongside Old Highway 91 near the border that divides Washington and Iron counties.

Officially named the Harmony Ridge Fire, the blaze was first reported just before 5 p.m., according to the UtahFireInfo website.

Its location was just east of the Old 91 frontage road that runs along the east side of Interstate 15, just north of the I-15 exit at mile marker 42 (New Harmony and Kanarraville). The burned area included unincorporated private and public land on both sides of the county line.

As of 9 p.m., the fire was 70% contained, according to Paula Imlay, public information officer for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. Imlay received updates from on-scene incident commander Ryan Riddle, the division’s fire warden for Iron County.

Although a few buildings, including a private residence and communication towers, were reportedly threatened by the fire, no structures were damaged, Imlay said.

Likewise, no damage was done to the RV park and storage unit business located on the opposite side of the road.

“The fire is smoldering,” Imlay said shortly before 9 p.m., adding that there are neither closures nor threatened structures. “All air resources have been released.”

The fire is listed as being human-caused, although the exact cause is reportedly under investigation.

Just after 7 p.m., a state helicopter dropped numerous loads of water onto the still-smoldering brush. Meanwhile, on the ground further to the south, firefighters worked with shovels, chainsaws and water hoses to clear away fuel and take care of hot spots.

Responding agencies included the Cedar City, Kanarraville and New Harmony fire departments, in addition to fire crews from the Bureau of Land Management and Utah Forestry, Fire and State Lands.

Resources allocated to the incident included eight engines, two water tenders, two single-engine air tankers (SEATs) and one heavy helicopter.

Deputies from both Washington and Iron County sheriff’s offices also responded, as did UDOT incident management.

This report is based on preliminary statements from fire management officials and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

CEDAR CITY — A residential building being used as a secondary guest house in New Harmony was destroyed in an early morning fire, officials said.

Firefighters were summoned to the scene just after 3 a.m. Friday, New Harmony Fire Chief Jim Banks told Cedar City News. Banks said the person who called 911 was a newspaper delivery driver who was driving by and noticed the flames.

“He was making the rounds out there and saw the fire, so he called dispatch,” Banks said, adding that dispatchers then called the owners of the property to wake them up.

Banks said the building that burned was the original home on the 5-acre property, located near 1950 South and 2500 East, before a newer, larger home was constructed in front of it.

“It’s like a guesthouse, a casita, that sits at the rear of the property,” Banks said, adding that while the owners were asleep inside the main house, the guest house to the west was unoccupied at the time of the fire.

Although the owners did have relatives who had been staying in the guest house, the younger couple was out of town at the time, Banks said.

“It had probably been burning for some time before anybody noticed it,” Banks said.

“The structure is going to be a total loss, but we had the fire knocked down probably within 15 minutes,” Banks said, adding that no other buildings nearby were affected and no injuries were reported.

Banks said Harmony Valley Fire District had 10 personnel responding.

“We also had one engine from Kanarraville and an engine from Cedar City assisting us,” he said.

Fire crews remained at the scene until approximately 8:30 a.m., Banks added.

The cause of the fire is believed to be electrical in nature, Banks said, noting that an investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s office was also on scene.

“There was a bookcase or something up against that wall, and something was plugged into that,” Banks said. “We don’t know if it was the house wiring, like the outlet that malfunctioned or maybe it was something that was plugged into it. There’s just too much damage right now. But it definitely started in that corner of the structure.”

Banks said that although the building did have a functional smoke detector, the alarm wasn’t able to be heard by the owners sleeping in the adjacent home.

Banks also offered a general safety reminder about electrical outlets.

“At Christmastime, where people are plugging in lights and extension cords, it’s really easy to overload outlets, with chargers and things like that,” he said. “So just be mindful.”

This report is based on statements from fire officials and may not contain the full scope of findings.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

CEDAR CITY — A residential building being used as a secondary guest house in New Harmony was destroyed in an early morning fire, officials said.

Firefighters were summoned to the scene just after 3 a.m. Friday, New Harmony Fire Chief Jim Banks told Cedar City News. Banks said the person who called 911 was a newspaper delivery driver who was driving by and noticed the flames.

“He was making the rounds out there and saw the fire, so he called dispatch,” Banks said, adding that dispatchers then called the owners of the property to wake them up.

Banks said the building that burned was the original home on the 5-acre property, located near 1950 South and 2500 East, before a newer, larger home was constructed in front of it.

“It’s like a guesthouse, a casita, that sits at the rear of the property,” Banks said, adding that while the owners were asleep inside the main house, the guest house to the west was unoccupied at the time of the fire.

Although the owners did have relatives who had been staying in the guest house, the younger couple was out of town at the time, Banks said.

“It had probably been burning for some time before anybody noticed it,” Banks said.

“The structure is going to be a total loss, but we had the fire knocked down probably within 15 minutes,” Banks said, adding that no other buildings nearby were affected and no injuries were reported.

Banks said Harmony Valley Fire District had 10 personnel responding.

“We also had one engine from Kanarraville and an engine from Cedar City assisting us,” he said.

Fire crews remained at the scene until approximately 8:30 a.m., Banks added.

The cause of the fire is believed to be electrical in nature, Banks said, noting that an investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s office was also on scene.

“There was a bookcase or something up against that wall, and something was plugged into that,” Banks said. “We don’t know if it was the house wiring, like the outlet that malfunctioned or maybe it was something that was plugged into it. There’s just too much damage right now. But it definitely started in that corner of the structure.”

Banks said that although the building did have a functional smoke detector, the alarm wasn’t able to be heard by the owners sleeping in the adjacent home.

Banks also offered a general safety reminder about electrical outlets.

“At Christmastime, where people are plugging in lights and extension cords, it’s really easy to overload outlets, with chargers and things like that,” he said. “So just be mindful.”

This report is based on statements from fire officials and may not contain the full scope of findings.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

An investing group is looking to potentially add a hotel, RV park, retail space, a gas station and utilities to 30 acres of land off exit 40 of I-15, which is near the Kolob Canyons entrance to Zion National Park.

To develop the land there, a zoning change from agricultural and residential land to commercial would need to be approved by the Washington County Planning Commission. The commission held a public hearing on Tuesday where over 80 residents packed into the county commission room.

The property owner, Stephen Swindle of Juniper Investors, pointed to the high number of visitors that come to Zion annually for why there should be more amenities available near the canyon. The developers said they’ve talked to officials with Zion National Park, and they said park officials are impartial to the land being developed.

According to a 2019 report from the National Park Service, there are 230,000 annual visitors to Kolob Canyons area.

"We think it will serve the needs of the park, for those traversing on I-15 ... we hope it's a project that increases the value of the property of those who live there," Swindle said.

More: Feds remove Nevada sage grouse habitat from oil and gas lease auction

Dozens of residents of New Harmony and surrounding areas expressed concerns about the light pollution, water quality, traffic, crime, and other issues that they thought could come along with the development of the area.

Three parcels in question are currently zoned for agricultural use and a minimum lot size of 20 acres. One parcel is zoned for residential and agricultural uses and a 5-acre minimum lot size.

Alternate Commissioner Dan Briggs asked one resident, and the crowd, what the residents would like the land to be used for, if not for commercial use. New Harmony resident Kelly Reber responded saying residents hope for the zone change not to happen — that it should remain zoned for agriculture and residential.

"[Swindle] can use it according to the zoning ... [By changing the zoning] you’re taking his needs over the needs of all the other people in this area,” Reber said. Those in attendance burst into applause, agreeing with Reber’s comment.

New Harmony resident Sue Hinson gave one of the last comments of the hearing and talked about the beauty she sees at Kolob Canyons. She urged the commissioners to spend time hiking there and watching the sunset.

“Please read our letters, read our concerns, and think about it,” Hinson said.

The meeting ended with the planning commission recommending approval on the zone change and project plan, with some conditions, and sent it to the Washington County Board of Commissioners.

More: Zion National Park the subject of land for Dixie State

After the meeting, some residents said the zone change was a ploy by the developer, Swindle, to get rid of the land. Some said by changing the zoning for the area, it would be easier for him to sell it.

In response to those concerns, Swindle said after the meeting that there has been no decision made of what his involvement would be in the actual development of the land.

"We want to utilize the property. It's been fallow, it's been sitting there. And we think there's an absolute need for the uses specified in our plan," Swindle said.

Lexi Peery is the environment, politics and development reporter for The Spectrum & Daily News, a USA TODAY Network newsroom based in southern Utah. You can reach her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @LexiFP.

An investing group is looking to potentially add a hotel, RV park, retail space, a gas station and utilities to 30 acres of land off exit 40 of I-15, which is near the Kolob Canyons entrance to Zion National Park.

To develop the land there, a zoning change from agricultural and residential land to commercial would need to be approved by the Washington County Planning Commission. The commission held a public hearing on Tuesday where over 80 residents packed into the county commission room.

The property owner, Stephen Swindle of Juniper Investors, pointed to the high number of visitors that come to Zion annually for why there should be more amenities available near the canyon. The developers said they’ve talked to officials with Zion National Park, and they said park officials are impartial to the land being developed.

According to a 2019 report from the National Park Service, there are 230,000 annual visitors to Kolob Canyons area.

"We think it will serve the needs of the park, for those traversing on I-15 ... we hope it's a project that increases the value of the property of those who live there," Swindle said.

More: Feds remove Nevada sage grouse habitat from oil and gas lease auction

Dozens of residents of New Harmony and surrounding areas expressed concerns about the light pollution, water quality, traffic, crime, and other issues that they thought could come along with the development of the area.

Three parcels in question are currently zoned for agricultural use and a minimum lot size of 20 acres. One parcel is zoned for residential and agricultural uses and a 5-acre minimum lot size.

Alternate Commissioner Dan Briggs asked one resident, and the crowd, what the residents would like the land to be used for, if not for commercial use. New Harmony resident Kelly Reber responded saying residents hope for the zone change not to happen — that it should remain zoned for agriculture and residential.

"[Swindle] can use it according to the zoning ... [By changing the zoning] you’re taking his needs over the needs of all the other people in this area,” Reber said. Those in attendance burst into applause, agreeing with Reber’s comment.

New Harmony resident Sue Hinson gave one of the last comments of the hearing and talked about the beauty she sees at Kolob Canyons. She urged the commissioners to spend time hiking there and watching the sunset.

“Please read our letters, read our concerns, and think about it,” Hinson said.

The meeting ended with the planning commission recommending approval on the zone change and project plan, with some conditions, and sent it to the Washington County Board of Commissioners.

More: Zion National Park the subject of land for Dixie State

After the meeting, some residents said the zone change was a ploy by the developer, Swindle, to get rid of the land. Some said by changing the zoning for the area, it would be easier for him to sell it.

In response to those concerns, Swindle said after the meeting that there has been no decision made of what his involvement would be in the actual development of the land.

"We want to utilize the property. It's been fallow, it's been sitting there. And we think there's an absolute need for the uses specified in our plan," Swindle said.

Lexi Peery is the environment, politics and development reporter for The Spectrum & Daily News, a USA TODAY Network newsroom based in southern Utah. You can reach her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @LexiFP.