ST. GEORGE —A small group of experienced climbers on an adventure found a burning wildfire and helped prevent a potential major disaster.

Ten members of the Southern Utah Climbers Alliance who planned to spend the day at a favorite hiking and climbing spot were “firefighters” for the day as they came upon a smoldering blaze that was reportedly human-caused.

The 15-year-old group works with land management and government agencies to keep climbing areas accessible, clean and safe in Southern Utah, Southeastern Nevada and Northern Arizona.

Early Sunday morning, July 9, at about 7 a.m., eight members of the group arrived at the Utah Hills area nearby Jarvis and Scrub peaks, between Beaver Dam, Arizona and Shivwits, Utah, the alliance’s Vice President Misty Murphy told St. George News.

She and her husband arrived shortly after the group found the fire and joined their efforts.

“It is a pretty discreet place,” Murphy said. “You have to take a dirt road out there.”

Most of the group used shovels or rakes they kept their vehicles to put out the fire, while one member called dispatch to report the flames, Murphy said.

“They ruined their shoes because the ground was so hot,” she said. “It was pretty intense.”

Brent Flaherty and Jesi Gorsalski were two of the first climbers on the scene, taking photos and videos of the damage. The climbers discovered the remains of several expended fireworks and a lighter by a pile of wood pallets — a potential cause of the fire.

 

Fire units from the Bureau of Land Management and the Utah Forestry, Fires and State Lands arrived pretty quickly, said Murphy. The firefighters kept busy for a couple of hours, turning the soil and observing to make sure the fire did not restart on the hillside.

Washington County Fire Warden Heber Heyder said that the fire was contained to 1.5 acres.

“We are very thankful the climbers were on site and used their fire sense to contact emergency services and assist in suppression,” he said.

There was a fire in that area about 20 years ago, Murphy said, adding that the trees and foliage have only recently been making a comeback. The Diamond Complex Fire burned over 5,809 acres within areas north and west of St. George in the summer of 2005.

Heyder said he hopes people will have fun recreating outdoors but they must only shoot fireworks on appropriate days, times and in designated locations.

 

Beginning July 3, Stage 1 fire restrictions were implemented in areas across Southern Utah, prohibiting open campfires or any explosive devices such as fireworks, exploding targets and tracer ammunition, Murphy said.

According to Utah Wildfire Info, one new fire was reported within the last 24 hours within Millard County, along with two older wildfires in Emery County and Grand County. The Grand County fire, near the Colorado border, was started by a vehicle rollover along Interstate 70 on July 10 and has burned about 1,790 acres.

“These areas are just so precious,” Murphy said. “It blows my mind how someone can be so careless. … People just need to be mindful of the land and their surroundings. Of course, obey laws too.”

The fire has been recorded as human-caused, with the investigation currently ongoing.

Fireworks are illegal on all unincorporated areas in Utah, including federal and state lands, St. George News reported previously. To learn more about where and when fireworks can be lit, click here.

This report is based on preliminary statements from authorities and incident witnesses and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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