High winds bolster 20,000-acre Pole Creek Fire; communities evacuated, highways closed

The lightning-caused Pole Creek Fire grew rapidly Thursday because of high winds, causing officials to evacuate three communities near the wildfire in Juab County and effectively shut down the section of the national forest where it’s burning.Utah fire officials announced Thursday afternoon that residents living in the Covered Bridge, Woodland Hills and Elk Ridge communities must evacuate.The fire has been burning in rough, dry terrain inside the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest’s