Wildland fire in Kanab Creek north of Ranchos briefly kills power for north Kanab and Valley

On the afternoon of Thursday, May 15, a fire started in the Kanab Creek area north of the Ranchos, spreading along the creek-side valley northward. Kanab City Fire Department led the response, calling in additional aid from BLM, Forest Service, Cedar Mountain Fire, Big Water Fire and Fredonia Fire, along with local volunteer firefighters.

Left to right:

• Photo by Michele Robinson-Page.

• Photo courtesy of Kanab City Fire Department.

According to the fire department’s report, there were no injuries reported, and no structures lost to the fire. While the fire was contained and under control by that evening, there was some damage to a Garkane power pole which knocked out power to parts of Kanab and up the Valley.

Power was restored later that evening, and crews remained overnight and into the following morning to monitor cleanup and hotspots.

The Kanab City Fire Department stated on social media, “We would like to thank the multiple agencies who provided assistance in containing this fire, as well as the members of the public who assisted in the efforts to extinguish the fire. Please keep in mind the dry conditions in the wind in the forecast before burning, even if a burn permit has been issued. If you do burn with a permit, please keep a hose line close by to spray if the fire starts to get out of control.”

The following day, Kanab City issued a statement on burn permits, “Kanab City will stop issuing burn permits on Monday, May 19. If you have a burn permit, burning will be allowed through Monday, May 26. Please use extreme caution. During the recent wildland fire in Kanab Creek, we saw green grasses lighting and burning quickly. Conditions are drying out, and fire risk is increasing. If you plan to burn, keep water nearby, never leave your fire unattended and check the weather.”