Seven Homes Burned In St. George Fire

ST. GEORGE, Utah — A massive, wind-whipped fire damaged at least seven homes Friday in St. George. Police believe three of those homes near the intersection of 300 West and Diagonal were destroyed.

“100-year-old house gone to nothing,” John Perkles lamented.

Neighbors did what they could to protect their properties and the homes next door.

“I grabbed a hose and started hosing down my roof, my grass – jumping back and forth between my front yard and my back yard,” Perkles said. “I feel bad for the folks who lost their homes here.”

Fire crews managed to gain control of the fire around 7 p.m., but neighbors said it was very scary for several hours.

Firefighters were dealing with high winds and worried about flames jumping the street.

“As you can see, the wind, the way it’s blowing, it’s absolutely not contained, and there are more structures that are in danger,” Tiffany Mitchell, St. George Police Department public information officer told KSL TV Friday afternoon.

“We’ve had multiple embers land in yards, on roofs, in gutters that have debris in them,” Robert Stoker, St. George Fire Chief said.

Emergency crews closed 300 West at Diagonal Street and urged the public to stay away from the area.

No injuries were reported.

Police said the fire started inside a home or a shed and high winds pushed it to other homes and outbuildings. As of Friday evening, they had not determined an exact cause.

A red flag warning is in effect for the area through Saturday night.