1 dead, 2 more towns evacuated as 2 erratic fires threaten central Utah

"We built everything here from the ground up, my husband and I. And so it is devastating, the thought the other people have been doing exactly the same thing and lost everything," she said. "To work so hard, to have it gone so fast … we've spent a lot of time crying. It's sad.

"I have a lot of friends over on the other side that I know have lost everything. And it's devastating to come back and realize that those people are no longer able to live there and that everything that they have is gone."

Nielsen said his office was receiving help from numerous agencies, including Sevier, Juab and Utah counties. Deputies planned to patrol the Fairview area throughout the night, he said, to prevent looters and to keep an eye on the fire.

When asked whether all residents in Fairview were obeying the mandatory evacuation order, Nielson declined to answer.

The subdivisions of Oaker Hills, Elk Ridge, Indian Ridge, Panorama and Big Hollow — areas that are a mixture of summer cabins, primary residences and horse and livestock properties — have been evacuated since Saturday night.

Rocky Mountain Power late Monday offered what it called a "plausible cause for the fire." The company said a recent copper theft in the region resulted in the removal of critical ground wire may have caused a short circuit.

"We are early in the process of fully investigating this incident and any determination as to the cause of the fire should be considered preliminary at this time," the company said in a prepared statement.

Rocky Mountain Power also estimated that about 255 customers were without power in Indianola.       

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