Panguitch fire 60 percent contained

Strong winds, low humidity and high temperatures combined to cause the Horse Valley Fire near Panguitch Lake to spread to 2,900 acres Wednesday.

The fire was caused by lightning and fueled by some "erratic winds out of the south," said Dixie National Forest's Kenton Call. The blaze is now 60 percent contained.

"The winds made the firefighting a little more challenging, but the firefighters still made good progress," Call said.

The number of firefighters working the fire increased from about 200 to around 300. Call said more crews, including the Lone Peak Hot Shot Crew out of Draper, were brought in to help contain the fire.

The fire is mostly burning mixed conifers, ponderosa pines and aspens. Call said the burn is "patchy," meaning it is burning much more in some areas than others.

"Where there's mixed conifer, it's burning hotter in those areas," he said. "The aspens are less hot, mostly burning more on the ground or skipping those areas. We also have some wetter grass and sage meadows, and those aren't burning at all."

Call said it is often better for wildlife when the burn pattern is more sporadic and can create some great areas for them to inhabit once the land has recovered.

Though the fire has grown, there are no new road or trail closures. Pole Hollow Road to Caddy Creek Road is closed to the junction of the Horse Valley Road. Horse Valley Road is open to through traffic, but the area east of the road is closed.

The Bridge Fire has also grown by more than 1,000 acres, to a total of 1,500 acres, Dixie National Forest spokeswoman Andi Falsetto said. The expansion of the fire, which was mostly in Bryce Canyon National Park, still fits into the planned boundaries.

"Though there's been a lot of activity and even though it's grown by a thousand acres and there's been a lot of smoke, it's still in the planned area and is still doing a lot of benefit," Falsetto said.

Weekend winds also affected the Horse Fire in Zion National Park, which more than doubled in size to 450 acres. The fire, which is 25 percent contained, was caused by lightning and fueled by winds exceeding 30 mph.

Twenty firefighters are managing the fire, which has led to the temporary closure of West Rim Trial from Lava Point to Potato Hollow. Beyond that, the only real effect the public will see is increased smoke in the canyons at night. The smoke should be gone by mid-morning, officials said.

A prescribed fire will be started by the Bureau of Land Management Wednesday in Rich County, near Randolph. The fire is planned for 34 acres and is intended to reduce the number of conifers and promote the growth of aspens in the area. The fire should only last for one day, but it will continue to be monitored for two days following the burn.

e-mail: emorgan@desnews.com