SEVIER COUNTY, Utah — A portion of State Route 24 is closed in Sevier County due to a wildfire Friday afternoon.
Sevier County dispatchers confirm State Route 24 is closed between the State Route 119 Junction and the State Route 62 Junction, a stretch of road about 16 miles long and southeast of Richfield.
Jill Ivie, a fire prevention technician for the Bureau of Land Management, says the Willow Patch Fire ignited around 1 p.m. She said ground resources are already on scene and air resources are on the way.
Ivie did not have an estimate on the size of the fire but said it is very active. The fire broke out near a well-known landmark in the area called Willow Patch, which is about two miles south of the junction of SR-119 and SR-24.
Ivie said the nearest homes are quite a ways away from the fire’s current location.
Ivie said SR-24 is generally a busy road, as it allows visitors to access Fish Lake and Capitol Reef.
Photos submitted by Fox 13 News viewers showed the plume of smoke, which is visible from Richfield.
Specific details about the size and cause of the fire were not immediately available. Fox 13 News will update this story as more details emerge.
