Monroe Canyon Fire expands rapidly in red flag conditions, several communities evacuated
Jul 28, 2025, 10:20 AM | Updated: Jul 30, 2025, 6:06 pm
The Monroe Canyon Fire has expanded to roughly 23,000 acres. (Istvan Bartos, KSL TV)
(Istvan Bartos, KSL TV)
SEVIER COUNTY — Firefighters said the Monroe Canyon Fire had expanded to roughly 31,000 acres as of Tuesday morning, and erratic winds and dry brush continued to fuel the fire’s progress northward Sunday afternoon.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, Sevier County Emergency Management said several areas, including Burrville, Monroe Canyon and parts of Poverty Canyon, had been evacuated. No other towns have been evacuated at this time.
Containment by Tuesday morning sat around 16%, and crews were monitoring the blaze’s progress amid red flag conditions.
Great Basin Team 3 fire information officer Jess Clark said the fire essentially doubled in size from Friday afternoon to Friday evening.
The Monroe Canyon Fire has expanded to roughly 23,000 acres. (Istvan Bartos, KSL TV)
“We had a big, what we call pyrocumulonimbus cloud — a smoke column — form out of that fire, and then it eventually collapsed on itself, which caused 60 mph outdrafts,” Clark explained during an interview with KSL TV. “So, winds come out in all directions at 60 mph, as that column collapsed, and so (it was) way too dangerous for firefighters.”
Clark said firefighters had to retreat from some of their positions in the Magleby area and three cabins ended up being burned.
That brings the total number of cabins burned to seven since the Monroe Canyon Fire started on July 13.
“(It’s) heartbreaking, of course, for those who appreciate and love those areas,” Clark said. “We feel for you. We feel very fortunate that’s all we’ve lost.”
According to firefighters, the fire had considerable space to burn northward before it potentially reached communities like Glenwood and Annabella, though crews said there were no immediate threats to those areas as of Sunday afternoon.
Nearly 1,000 firefighters are working to fight the Monroe Canyon Fire. (Istvan Bartos, KSL TV)
Clark said approximately 975 firefighters were working the fire, representing 34 different states including New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Georgia.
“There are a lot of values at risk, we call that, up on the mountain here—a lot of summer homes and cabins that are really important to people, a lot of really good hunting ground up there,” Clark said. “We’d love to get up there and support and protect as much as we can, so a lot of staff, a lot of people running around, trying to do their part.”
