Firefighters gain small edge Monday evening on record-setting central Utah wildfire

KANOSH, Millard County — Firefighters won a small victory over a massive central Utah wildfire Monday, getting the 468 square miles blaze 10 percent contained thanks to low winds and increased resources.

Hundreds of firefighters have arrived to fight the Milford Flat Fire, buffering a crew of just 109 that had worked the lightning-sparked inferno since Friday.

"We'll take it," Color County Fire Information Officer Jean Bergerson said of the small containment.

A team of firefighters was expected monitor the fire overnight, she said.

Fire managers expect to add 10 additional crews to the effort to extinguish what is said to be the largest fire in Utah history. It's currently the nation's No. 2 priority wildfire.

So far the fire, burning about 120 miles south of Salt Lake City, has raced through 300,000 acres of extremely dry sagebrush, cheat grass and pinion juniper.

While fire crews worked, Mike Rutherford spent the day sifting through the remains of his Dog Valley Trading Post, an old log cabin where he sold American Indian crafts to travelers near historic Cove Fort. He had no insurance on his $50,000 inventory.

"All we could find were some handmade knives — well, the blades anyway — and some pottery," Rutherford, 59, said by phone from Kanosh. "Most of the things were pretty much dust. ... Have you got any openings?"

The fire, caused by lightning Friday, grew to more than 300,000 acres in Millard and Beaver counties, the largest in Utah history.

The protection of Interstate 15 was important. A plan to set a fire to eliminate vegetation that could serve as fuel was postponed because high winds subsided and crews made progress along the major north-south route, Marzec said.

"But just because it's calmed down, doesn't mean it's handled," Marzec said. "This is only a few hours breather. If we have wind or bad weather, we could be back to where we were."

The fire was most active along its northeast edge, where it was burning in rocky terrain. Low wind was expected to curb growth, but managers hadn't begun to talk about a target date for containment, she said.

A Type I fire team, an elite unit, took over management of a fire that was ranked No. 2 among national firefighting priorities, BLM regional officer Rowdy Muir told reporters.

There were 300 people fighting the fire, with 500 or more anticipated, along with two helicopters and three air tankers.