‘Definitely human caused’: Brush fire flares up at Brooks Nature Park in St. George

Written by E. George Goold
April 24, 2024

ST. GEORGE — Firefighters and first responders worked quickly to suppress a brush fire at Brooks Nature Park that for a brief period Wednesday night threatened an adjacent home.

Firefighters battle a brush fire that erupted at Brooks Nature Park, St. George, Utah, April 24, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

St. George Fire Department Chief Robert Stoker said in a briefing to the press around 9:30 p.m. that the alarm sounded just after 8 p.m.

“We received a call for a brush fire here on the top of Main Street, about 400 North and Main,” Stoker said, adding that the fire burned below the water tower in the area of Brooks Nature Park.

“The reporting person said they saw some smoke, a small fire and some juveniles running from the scene,” Stoker said.

It was a quick-thinking 12-year-old who called 911 when he heard screams and saw flames in the nature park.

Eyewitness Colton Defa said within 10 minutes, firefighters arrived on scene to begin fighting what turned out to be a significant blaze that threatened adjacent homes but didn’t burn them.

Defa said he heard screams that something was burning and made the call.

“I was telling everyone … it will be OK because that trail was stopping it – it wouldn’t have got past the trail,” he said in reference to the dirt separating the area that was burning from the fence, trees and brush that were upwind. “And the officer made me feel better by saying the wind is going that way so it wouldn’t even get near our house.”

A combination of Defa’s quick response and a favorable wind direction kept the flames at bay, but not before a significant section of brush was charred and residents nearby had a good scare.

Eyewitnesses Paul Ford and his brother Kendall Ford, Defa’s father and uncle, kept a close eye on the fire, going so far as to douse their fence with water from their own hose.

Firefighters battle a brush fire that erupted at Brooks Nature Park, St. George, Utah, April 24, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Kendall Ford said he heard the commotion outside their home and that the police arrived within 5 minutes and firefighters within 10 minutes.

He described the fire as being a 6-by-4-yard rectangle when it started, pointing to a portion of his driveway.

“After 30 seconds, it was as big as my driveway,” he said. 

A “pretty good wind” pushed the quickly burning blaze back up against the hill, Stoker said. The fire approached a home that’s in the area of 200 East, Skyline Drive, off the parkway that overlooks the park.

“The fire was heading towards that home. The fire did impinge on that home. We were able to get some resources up there and got the fire knocked down and contained around that home,” Stoker said.

“There is some damage to the exterior of the home. Right now we’re checking the inside for fire extension, using thermal energy cameras to check the area for heat,” he added, noting that the house was cooling off and it was safe inside.

Some city of St. George Energy Services power lines were damaged, Stoker said, adding that representatives from SGES and Dominion Energy were on scene to check the utilities.

Stoker said that the owners of the threatened home were evacuated safely.

“They did a great job of helping contain the fire and then they were able to evacuate once our resources arrived on scene,” he said.

Flames are visible from behind the fence of Kendall Ford’s residence near Brooks Nature Park, St. George, Utah, April 24, 2024 | Photo courtesy of Kendall Ford, St. George News

Around the park itself, Stoker noted, there were some homes that were threatened but no damage was done as it was mainly underbrush and trees that burned there.

“We did have quite a bit of wind. It was a large wildland fire within our city at this point, as homes were threatened,” Stoker said. He added that several fires have burned in the same area “in years past.”

“No injuries have been reported,” Stoker said. “Right now we’re monitoring that home to see if the family can stay in there tonight. If not, they do have some family or we’ll reach out to Red Cross to get accommodations for them.”

Stoker said that the fire was completely contained in about 45 minutes.

“We definitely know that it was human caused, most likely with those juveniles,” Stoker said. “The police department did take some descriptions but they were very vague. Several officers circulated the area but were not able to find anything at this point.”

Stoker said the investigation is ongoing and anybody found responsible can be charged for suppression costs plus any damages.

This report is based on statements by first responders and eyewitnesses and may not include the full scope of the investigation.

St. George News reporter Chris Reed contributed to this report.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eric George Goold came to St. George News from southwestern Colorado, where he was a radio news reporter. He has been a journalist for over 20 years in five different states. He graduated with a master's degree in English from Kansas State University and writes nonfiction as well. Goold has been published in Sunstone Magazine and has done multiple public readings about local history. When he has free time, he enjoys chess, movies and dogs.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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