ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) - Firefighters were battling a wildfire in southern Utah Wednesday that was sparked by illegal fireworks, authorities said.
The blaze north of St. George had grown to nearly 19 square miles (49 square kilometers) and was 0% contained as of Wednesday afternoon, the Spectrum newspaper reported.
Authorities are searching for three teenage males spotted driving away from the area where the fire started on Monday.
The fire forced a brief evacuation in Washington City at one point, and also closed several secondary roads in the hills west of the city.
It is burning through pinyon and juniper trees, dry brush and grass within the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, a protected habitat for the threatened Mojave desert tortoise.
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