Several wildfires are under watch

Fire officials are continuing to monitor several fires across Utah.

On Wednesday, lightning ignited several small fires along the Utah-Arizona border, the Bureau of Land Management is reporting.

Officials are allowing two of the fires to burn for resource benefit, while five others were suppressed by Thursday afternoon.

Strong winds are forecast for today and are expected to increase fire activity and size, the BLM said.

The Big Pole Fire in Tooele County's western desert continues to burn, and smoke and flames could be visible to Skull Valley residents for the next few weeks, Forest Service officials are reporting.

The fire is currently 75 percent contained and helicopters will continue to support fire crews with bucket drops of water to cool down hotspots. By Thursday, the fire's perimeter was 43,923 acres.

— Michael Gonda