Wildfire — Southern Mountains, Utah

2017-06-17 to 2017-06-30 · Southern Mountains, Utah

Event narrative

The Brianhead Fire started on June 17, when a man used a weed torch at his Brian Head area cabin, and the fire became out of control. The fire burned 71,675 acres, with most of the growth in the first two weeks of the fire. The Brianhead Fire destroyed 13 homes and 13 minor structures. A priority sage grouse habitat was also impacted east of the fire perimeter in the Panguitch watershed area. Costs associated with the fire were approximately $36.6 million, with rehabilitation efforts projected to cost double or triple that amount. At the height of the fire, approximately 1,831 personnel were fighting to contain the wildfire, and 1,562 people were evacuated from 11 communities in Iron and Garfield counties. The fire was contained on July 28. Note that this event continued into July.

Wider weather episode

The Brianhead Fire in southern Utah began on June 17 and burned for over a month before becoming 100% contained. Note that this episode continued into July.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 710697. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.