A fast-moving wildfire dubbed the Deer Creek Fire has scorched an estimated 6,700 acres near the town of La Sal in San Juan County, Utah, leaving the blaze at 0 % containment, state and federal fire officials said Friday. The fire, first reported on Thursday afternoon, destroyed four primary residences, five outbuildings—including a U.S. Forest Service facility—and damaged local power infrastructure. Roughly 20 additional homes remain at risk. Authorities ordered mandatory evacuations for about 250 residents within a five-mile radius of the fire and opened a cooling center at the La Sal Community Center. State Route 46 is shut in both directions at mile marker 14, and Old La Sal Road is closed to all but emergency traffic. More than a hundred personnel from local, state and federal agencies are working to establish containment lines along the ridgeline above the highway amid hot, dry and breezy conditions forecast to persist through the day. The cause of the wildfire is still under investigation.
LATEST: Four homes and five buildings were burned by the Deer Creek Fire, fire officials said Friday. Evacuation orders remain as fire crews work to battle flames. https://t.co/i2NsjTipSe
LATEST: The San Juan County Sheriff's Office asked La Sal residents to stay away as fire crews were working to battle the 4,000-acre Deer Creek Fire Friday. https://t.co/i2NsjTipSe
The Deer Creek Fire burning near the La Sal area in San Juan County remained active through early Friday morning, destroying several nearby structures, authorities said. https://t.co/v8uELFI1Tp