Fire leads to closure of parts of Zion trail

Lightning has caused as many as five fires in recent weeks, most recently in Zion National Park and near the Colorado-Utah border.

A wildfire in the northern part of Zion National Park, near Lava Point, has led to the closure of the West Rim Trail from Lava Point to Potato Hollow. The fire currently covers 20 acres and is described as moderate.

The West Rim Trail will remain open from the Grotto to Potato Hollow, as will the Angels Landing and Wildcat Canyon trails.

David Eaker of the National Parks Service said the fire is not threatening any structures. Firefighters are attempting to direct the blaze to an area where there was a prescribed burn last year.

"We're hoping to herd it in that direction so there's no fuel for it to continue," Eaker said. "Then, eventually, it'll fade out."

Firefighters also are monitoring a fire near the Utah-Colorado border around Baxter's Pass. The blaze currently covers an area of 300 acres, but Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Erin Curtis said the fire is in a very remote location and far from any residential areas. Curtis said the area is so steep and rugged that the BLM is hesitant to send in firefighters.

"There's no good, safe access to the fire from the ground," she said, "so we have firefighters on the ground, but they aren't fighting the fire. They are just monitoring it from safe locations."

Curtis said the fire poses a threat to remote gas and oil wells, but they are outside the fire's path and are being protected. Like many of the recent fires, this one will be allowed to burn, which Curtis said can yield positive results.

"When there's nothing threatened, the vegetation in the area can actually benefit from the fire," she said.

E-mail: emorgan@desnews.com