A forest fire that initially burned about 15 acres Monday at Fishlake National Forest had exploded to 2,000 acres by Friday, prompting officials to change their strategy from "confinement" to "containment."
The fire is burning in rugged terrain in the Pole Creek area about seven miles west of Circleville in Piute County. "It has consumed aspen, white fir and sagebrush," said Fishlake National Forest spokeswoman Linda Jackson.Crews have doused about 35 percent of the blaze, but officials don't know when the fire will be entirely extinguished.
Weather changes Friday will likely determine increases in fire activity. Winds were expected to blow from the south with humidity dropping.
Jackson said some firefighters from the Fishlake Forest have worked along the perimeters in an effort to contain the flames and officials Wednesday enlisted two additional 20-member firefighting teams.
"Cause of the fire has not been determined," said Jackson. "It was first reported about 5 p.m. Sunday."
Officials initially used a "confinement" strategy, choosing natural barrier and only observing the blaze because of concerns of placing firefighters in the steep terrain.
But when flames spread and reached more moderate terrain Tuesday, the strategy was changed to "containment."
Officials of the Dixie, Fishlake and the Wasatch-Cache national forests, as well as state and Bureau of Land Management personnel, are working together to contain the fire.
The blaze forced the closure Wednesday of U-153 at the Mt. Holly Junction. The road will be closed indefinitely, said Utah Department of Transportation spokesman Les Jester.