WILDFIRES
Black Mountain fire sparked by drowsy driver rollover
Jun 28, 2018, 11:21 PM | Updated: Jun 29, 2018, 1:02 am
MINERSVILLE, Utah – The Black Mountain fire has now burned 5,000 acres of land in the Beaver County area.
It sparked after a drowsy driver crashed on Highway 130, two miles south of Minersville Thursday afternoon.
As of Thursday night, officials say the fire was threatening a seasonal cabin, but the town of Minersville was safe.
Highway 130 is expected to stay closed until Friday morning.
Shannon Dotson, 19, was driving on Highway 130 when she watched the car roll over in front of her car Thursday.
“When I got out I thought I was going to find him dead, but he pulled himself out of his car,” Dotson said.
She said the man was shaken up and had a big gash on his head.
“When we got him pretty far away from the car, it was just a little grass on fire. Some other guys tried to put it out with a shovel, but it kind of just took off from there,” Dotson said.
About 200 firefighters are working to get a handle on the fire. More resources are headed to help as the fire is getting upgraded to a Type 3 level.
Related: Rough Canyon fire moves toward homes in Portage, firefighters push back