From Deseret News archives:
New fires prompt evacuations, campground, motel and vehicles destroyed in Nephi Canyon
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Evacuations are under way in central and southern Utah as winds whipped up wildfires, burning buildings.
A wildfire burning in Nephi Canyon has grown from a spark this afternoon to more than 5,000 acres and is now threatening the town of Indianola and several subdivisions.
The U.S. Forest Service said it started at a KOA campground about 6 miles east of Nephi. The campground, a nearby motel and several vehicles have been reported destroyed.
All of the campgrounds, trailheads and cabins along the 32-mile Nebo Loop have been evacuated, including Boy Scout and Girl Scout camps in the area. More than 2,000 people have been evacuated, authorities said.
State Route 132 from the Nebo Loop turnoff to Fountain Green has been closed.
The fire is human-caused. Authorities were investigating reports that a vehicle's brake pads created sparking.
The wildfire burned a 138,000-volt transmission line, knocking out electricity for much of Sanpete County. After hours without electricity in 99 degree heat, Rocky Mountain Power crews were able to restore service a short time ago.
About 25 people were evacuated from the Hamlin Valley as a wildfire whipped up Thursday afternoon in Iron County near the Utah-Nevada border.
"We've already lost an undetermined amount of structures," Color Country Fire Management's LaCee Bartholomew told the Deseret Morning News.
Air tankers, water tender trucks, fire engines and fire crews were dispatched to create lines as the Paradise Fire grew.
"There's a lot of fuel out there," Iron County Sheriff's deputy Jody Edwards said. "It's going to be scary."
Fire officials estimate the fire has burned nearly 4,000-acres.
In Kane County, summer cabins near Navajo Lake have been evacuated as a series of blazes burning in Zion National Park moved closer to them. The Dakota Hill Fire complex has grown to more than 7,300 acres. The Kane County Sheriff's Office would not say how many people were being evacuated, or what was being done with the evacuees.
"We've ordered an evacuation of residents of North Fork Road from Highway 89 to Navajo Lake," said Erik DeGroat, a spokesman for the park.
Several hundred firefighters will begin arriving today to battle the fires.
Access to the backcountry of Zion National Park has been prohibited. The backcountry ban took effect this morning. No backcountry or canyoneering permits will be issued, park rangers said.
