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Posted 8:52 PM, Jun 21, 2025
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah — The Forsyth Fire burning in Washington grew by more than 1,000 acres overnight as it remains 0% contained, with weather conditions forecast to make battling the wildfire even more difficult in the coming days.
On Monday, the fire was measured at 7,045 acres, up from the 5,660 acres on Sunday. No additional structures have been damaged or lost in the fire, with the number of homes destroyed remaining steady at 13.
Stable weather conditions on Sunday allowed firefighters to use air resources to slow the fire's advance and extinguish hotspots near structures.
Southwest winds of up to 20 miles per hour are expected to return Monday, greatly impacting south-facing slopes. Weather conditions will become increasingly hot and dry during the week, according to fire officials, which could spur further growth of the fire.
"The communities of Pine Valley and Grass Valley are still under a 'Go' evacuation order, these help to keep the public safe and allow suppression resources to work unobstructed." the Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team reiterated Monday. The Pinto area is at "Set" level, meaning residents would be prepared to evacuate if necessary.
Officials said most of the homes that were destroyed were "second homes," and there are no "displaced families."
WATCH: Gov. Cox speaks to reporters after touring area of Forsyth Fire
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The Great Basin team assumed control of the fire at 7 a.m. Sunday, which more than doubled the amount of resources that will be available to fight the lightning-caused Forsyth Fire.
Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Forest Service announced that a significant portion of wilderness area, including roads and trails, is being closed to the public, effective immediately:
Winds are forecast to remain relatively calm Sunday, allowing air support to battle the flames that was not available Saturday due to unsafe conditions.
Saturday's gusty winds blew the flames of the fire over a ridgeline in the afternoon, triggering more evacuations.
A red flag warning was in effect Saturday. Gusty winds kept up all day long, creating headaches for the firefighters working to protect Pine Valley.
"You know, we don't make any promises. We just do our very best with what we have," said Mike McMillan, public information officer for the Dixie National Forest.
McMillan said the fire was first noticed late Thursday afternoon. He said it began from a lightning strike that may have gone undetected for as many as 10 days.
The smoke got a lot more intense around 4:00 Saturday afternoon, billowing higher into the sky over the community. About 450 people remain evacuated. Some have chosen to stay.
"On both ends of this town, the fire is still threatening the town, and the goal of the firefighters is to keep it from flanking the town and coming around the other side," McMillan said.
Late in the afternoon, winds pushed the flames north, over a ridgeline, triggering evacuation notices in nearby Pinto and Grass Valley.
"They did everything they could, but now more resources are needed, and the incident's just grown in complexity," McMillan said of the transfer of fire management on Sunday.
As they keep up that work, they've had plenty of support from the surrounding community. A seemingly non-stop stream of people stopped by the roadblock outside Pine Valley, dropping off food and drinks for the crews, which are made up of federal, local, and volunteer firefighters.
"They're our neighbors for sure and we feel that, so you worry about them, right?" said Emily Kirkwood.
Kirkwood delivered fresh-picked apricots from her family's farm.
"These are the fresh ones that I had, and I thought, well, I thought about making jam with them, but this was a better cause, so here I am," she said.
Sue Gatchell brought more food and drinks. The incident hits especially close for her because a home she formerly lived in was destroyed.
"This will be rebuilt. Pine Valley will be Pine Valley forever and ever, but let's just get through the next few days and hope that we can save as much as we can," Gatchell said.
As all those deliveries came in, someone had to get them to the firefighters. Lesly Wastlund tried her best to transport all the donations back up to the crews, but keeping up pace with all the goodwill proved difficult.
"We're going to be doing this all day long. I don't even know if we'll be able to keep up with it," she said.
Wastlund's husband is a volunteer firefighter working alongside so many others to protect their community.
"Those men and women are indescribable. They're heroes. Especially our local community because they're unpaid. They're volunteer firefighters that have been here day and night since Thursday," Wastlund said.
The task was a welcome distraction. She doesn't yet know if their home is still standing.
"We don't know. Our particular subdivision has had the most damage, has suffered the most damage. We don't know. They won't let us into some of the areas. We're just praying, we're just hopeful," Wastlund said.
As fire crews and residents alike await the firefight to come, Wastlund says no flames can singe their spirit.
"We're working together to help each other get through this, and we will. It's a strong, wonderful community," she said. "Somebody up there has a plaque on their home that says, 'Closest to Heaven that you're going to get.' That not only applies to the beauty of Pine Valley, but the beauty of the people up there," Wastlund said.
Fire officials don’t yet know when those evacuation orders will be lifted for the people of Pine Valley to return home.