‘It’s really hard not knowing’: Residents gather for update on Monroe Canyon Fire
Aug 5, 2025, 10:47 AM | Updated: 10:50 am
RICHFIELD — People impacted by the growing Monroe Canyon Fire met Monday evening to get an update on the evolving situation.
Nearly 100 people attended a public meeting at the Snow College campus in Richfield to hear from fire officials and ask questions.
The wildfire, which started July 13 and has burned more than 62,000 acres, is 13% contained. The cause is still under investigation. Flames have destroyed several structures, but on Monday evening, evacuation orders for the community of Burrville and a nearby RV park were lifted.
Even with that welcome news, there’s a lot of uncertainty and concern as the wildfire keeps growing. An incident meteorologist told residents the forecast isn’t helping matters. The wind kicked up again Monday with gusts of 45 miles per hour in some places.
It’s also hot and dry — very dry.
Flames from the Monroe Canyon Fire in Sevier County, Utah, are pictured on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (Mark Less, KSL TV)
“That’s our big threat,” said Adam Solt, Monroe Canyon Fire public information officer. “Then when you add the heat and the wind, it’s all just one big triangle of things to worry about.”
While evacuation orders for nearby communities have been lifted, cabins on the mountain itself are still inaccessible. That’s tough for property owners who showed up Monday evening anxiously waiting for answers.
“It’s just so hard not knowing what’s happened up there, and just what’s standing and what’s not,” said Mark Black, who lives in American Fork but whose family has owned property on the northeast side of Cove Mountain since the late 1800s.
People listen during a public meeting about the Monroe Canyon Fire in Sevier County, Utah on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. (Mark Wetzel, KSL TV)
Black has seen photos from firefighters that show flames on his property, but he said officials have told him the cabins and other buildings on his property are fine for now.
“We just don’t know what the property itself is going to look like now and for years to come,” he said.
More than 1,500 firefighters from 34 states are involved in fighting the Monroe Canyon Fire. Black praised the work of firefighters and called them heroes.
Helicopters fighting the Monroe Canyon Fire in Sevier County, Utah are pictured on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (Mark Less, KSL TV)
Still, the uncertainty surrounding the fire — and where things go from here — is difficult to endure.
“It’s really hard not knowing,” Black said.
