Wildfire forces evacuations in 2 southwest Utah communities

ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) - A wildfire forced resident evacuations in two communities in the southwest corner of Utah, emergency officials said.

Residents of Leeds and Harrisburg evacuated Sunday as emergency personnel fought the wildfire that spread across 4.7 square miles in Washington County, The Spectrum reported.

The cause of the fire was a blown vehicle tire along an area highway, authorities said.

Officials said 30 fire engines, three large air tankers and four helicopters from multiple agencies responded to the fire.

The Utah Department of Transportation also closed part of Interstate 15.

By Sunday night the fire was reported to be 10% contained. Harrisburg lifted its evacuation notice around 8:20 p.m. while the west side of Leeds remained evacuated.

Southern Utah has experienced four wildfires in the past week.