Costs for Fighting Utah Wildfire Reached Nearly $34M

The cost of fighting a southern Utah wildfire that forced hundreds of people to evacuate has reached nearly $34 million.

Fire spokeswoman Julie Thomas said the tab for fighting the blaze near the Utah ski town of Brian Head is $33.89 million to date.

Officials have said wildfire was started nearly a month ago by someone burning weeds, and that person could be responsible for the costs of fighting the fire.

Jason Curry of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands says any move to recoup the costs would come after a criminal investigation is complete.

Iron County sheriff’s deputies overseeing the criminal probe didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.