Cedar City wildfire burns near buildings, injures two firefighters
Sep 19, 2024, 3:26 PM | Updated: Sep 20, 2024, 7:48 pm
UPDATE: On Friday, both firefighters have been released from the hospital, according to Cedar City Fire Department. It was previously reported that the fire contained chemicals, but local authorities have since said the fire was burning scrap from a manufacturing process, not a chemical fire.
CEDAR CITY — A fire was burning near buildings west of Airport Road in Cedar City.
According to the Cedar City Police Department, the fire was burning near businesses along 850 North.
“The fire involves chemicals and has spread across the ground threatening several businesses,” the department said in a Facebook post.
The fire started outside of the Insituform factory, according to George Colson, the manager of Iron Co. Emergency. Colson said the businesses use chemicals which caused concern.
There were ‘hardened chemicals’ outside that the fire was reportedly getting into. The fire did not make it into the factory, but was outside of it.
Colson said the fire burned along a fence line, but did not make it to any other businesses. All businesses in the area were evacuated as a precaution.
New 🔥 Start: #CedarCityAssist06Fire in Cedar City, Iron Co. west of Airport Road, est 3 acres. Forward progress of wildfire has stopped. Fire crews currently responding to commercial structures that have been compromised. Avoid the area. The cause is under investigation #ffslkmg pic.twitter.com/IQ1lpPKI0c
— Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) September 19, 2024
Colson said the fire is out and that firefighters are now in “mop up.”
The Cedar City Police Department reported that two Cedar City firefighters and one civilian were transported to a hospital due to injuries.
Officials ask that people avoid the area, as the fire is currently under investigation. Iron County will reportedly be contacting the Utah Department of Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency because of the chemical component. There are no water sources in the area for the chemicals to get into.
This story is developing and may be updated.
