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Show Panguitch Lake Area Fire Closes Lake Highway, Burns 129 Acres PANGUITCH LAKE A wildfire that burned nearly five acres on Wednesday near Panguitch Pan-guitch Lake, threatening a ranch home before being brought under control, flared up again on Thursday, Thurs-day, closing Highway 143 that connects Panguitch with the popular pop-ular lake resort area. Thursday's blaze burned over 129 acres before being brought under control on Friday. At mid-afternoon on Wednesday, Wednes-day, passersby reported to the owners of Rustic Lodge at Panguitch Pan-guitch Lake that a lightning strike had started a fire on the south side of the highway across from the Konroy Henrie ranch home. Rustic Lodge co-owner Scott Tobiasson, who is the Panguitch Lake fire chief, reported the fire and, with eight volunteer firefighters, firefight-ers, started toward the fire with two Panguitch Lake fire engines. A third fire truck needed brakes too badly to be used. Forest Service fire trucks had responded and were joined by State Fire Warden Martin Bridges and his fire truck. A helicopter that arrived on the scene within minutes, refueling its collapsible water bucket from nearby Panguitch Pan-guitch Creek, made quick work of the fire that was brought under control within an hour. Tobiasson' s crew went home, with other firefighters remaining to mop up. Also on hand were smoke jumpers who arrived from Dave's Hollow where they have been stationed. About the same time on Thursday, the fire apparently re-ignited, re-ignited, spreading this time in earnest, whipped by moderately strong winds that were shifting their direction every five minutes said Tobiasson whose crew and two trucks were again on hand, augmenting the Forest Service crew of smoke jumpers. His crew was hampered when the pump broke on one of the remaining two Panguitch Lake fire trucks. "It leaves us very vulnerable," said Tobiasson whose limited budget has stifled efforts to upgrade equipment. Fire trucks were brought in from Panguitch City, Duck Creek, Escalante and Cedar City, each with its own crew. A Forest Service Cedar City-based fixed wing aircraft dropped chemicals to smother the flames in rugged terrain inaccessible by the fire trucks. It was 5 p.m. before the fire was brought under control, the road reopened, and Tobiasson 's crew and some of the others were able to leave. Forest Service crews were still mopping up the area on Friday to be certain there was no further fire danger according to Forest Service assistant dispatcher Kent Lobell in Cedar City. Tobiasson said that funds are allocated from state moneys based upon voter registration. Since so many residents of the area are not year-round Utah residents and therefore unable to register to vote in the state, the area does not receive sufficient funds to properly equip its department depart-ment and replace or maintain its fire engines as needed. An effort last year to create a special fire district that would provide those funds via property tax failed when a large number of summer residents of the area protested at the hearing at which the decision was to be made. They said they would create a homeowners association to voluntarily volun-tarily raise the necessary moneys to fund the fire department. Tobiasson Tobi-asson said apparently no such association has been created and only $400 voluntarily contributed for the year. Adding to his frustration was the breakdown of the second fire truck's pump during the second day of last week's fire near the lake, leaving only one 1966 fire truck currently operational. |