Record Utah Wildfire Forces Road Closures Again

BEAVER-Fire officials have again closed two interstate highways in Utah because of a massive wildfire burning about 440 square miles in the central part of the state.Interstates 15 and 70 were closed periodically over the weekend as the fire leapt the road and heavy smoke impaired visibility. After opening the roads Sunday evening, officials announced Monday morning they would be closed again for most of the day. Officials closed I-15 from State Route 20 to Cove Fort and I-70 from the I-15 junction to Highway 89. The roads were scheduled to remain closed until at least 1:30 p.m. Monday.The wildfire burning more than 283,000 acres in Millard and Beaver counties was sparked Friday by lightning. It was declared the largest wildfire in Utah history far surpassing a previous wildfire that burned 95,000 acres-or about 148 square miles, according to state fire information officer Jim Springer. The Milford Flat fire, burning about 120 miles south of Salt Lake City, has raced through extremely dry sagebrush, cheat grass and pinion juniper. It's being stoked by high winds, triple-digit temperatures in the afternoon and low humidity, said Mike Melton, fire management officer for Utah's Division of Forestry. A Type I fire team - the elite units in wildland firefighting - with about 500 firefighters and more equipment took over management of the fire Monday. The fire has no containment percentage and no containment date is being predicted. The fire forced the evacuation over the weekend of historic Cove Fort. The site was built in 1847 to offer protection and refreshment to pioneers traveling through the newly settled West.
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