(KCPW News) The Wood Hollow Fire burning in Sanpete County has grown to an estimated 37,000 acres with flames reaching as high as 100 feet, and as of this morning is only 10 percent contained according to Interagency Fire Spokesman Don Carpenter.
“We have had numerous structures burn, and we know some of them include homes. At this time we have been unable to go in and identify which homes and their exact locations. It’s either the fire is threatening those homes or it’s still active in the area,” says Carpenter.
Carpenter says 300 homes and cabins have been evacuated, affecting between 800 and 1,000 people. After flying over the scene this morning, Utah Governor Gary Herbert said the number of burned structures stands at 25 to 30, with approximately $6 to $7 million in damages.
Carpenter says high winds and the area’s terrain are adding to the difficulty in fighting the fire, plus “the fuels themselves driving the fire are extremely dry without the snowpack that normally pushes the grasses down and makes it harder to burn. A lot of that material from last year is still standing, along with the cheat grass from this year that’s cured out.”
Carpenter says the fire is believed to be human caused and an investigation into the exact cause is ongoing.
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