From Deseret News archives:
Milford fire contained; ranch lands devastated
The lightning-sparked fire burned more than 363,000 acres and was the largest wildfire in Utah history. By Sunday, the blaze cost approximately $4 million.
Many crews were reassigned from the Milford blaze to other wildfires burning across the western United States on Monday, Springer said. Crews that remained focused on hot spots within the containment lines and maintained the lines.
"We're in a heavy demobilization process where we're releasing crews and equipment," said Kathy Jo Pollack, a spokeswoman for the interagency fire team battling the fire. "A lot of them are being picked up on other fires in the West."
The Milford Flat fire has burned more than 567 square miles of sagebrush, grass and juniper. It was sparked by lightning on July 6 and swelled to become Utah's largest wildfire.
The impact of the blaze could leave ranchers in central and southern Utah in dire straits.
Beaver County Sheriff's Lt. Raymond Goodwin said Monday his count was up to 109 dead cattle.
He expects to find even more carcasses when he goes out this morning to more areas torched by the massive Milford Flat fire.
"It's going to be devastating to the cattlemen," he said, adding that the deer carcasses he has seen outnumber the cattle four to one.
Rangeland is burned, and it could be years before cattle are permitted back on that land because of rehabilitation efforts.
"It could be two to three years to allow that seed and new plant varieties to become established and go back to be grazed," said Kyle Stephens, the deputy commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.
Things were not looking good for ranchers before the fire even started. Years of drought have depleted hay crops and some wells have run dry. It's also driven the price of hay sky high. Premium quality dairy hay has been fetching as much as $140 per ton. Midgrade hay is going for $90 to $100 per ton.
The Milford Flat fire could drive hay prices even higher, as demand starts to exceed supply.
"That's maybe played into it a little bit," Stephens said. "A lot of our leftover hay from 2006 was actually used and purchased to address the blizzard situations in Colorado last winter."
Goodwin, who also raises cattle, fears that many ranchers in Beaver County will get priced out and sell out.
"That fire was the fastest-moving and most devastating fire I've experienced in my lifetime and law enforcement career," he said.
