Millard County leaders weren't expecting July Fourth pyrotechnics to extend through the weekend.
Several lightning-sparked wildfires have blackened almost 40,000 acres following a holiday electrical storm. Fortunately, no homes or other structures are threatened and fire officials were hoping Monday thunderstorms would help douse hot spots.Almost 1,500 people are battling a series of blazes forming the Sorenson fire complex that temporarily knocked out area power and closed a section of I-15 Sunday.
Of top concern is the South Twin Peaks fire located about a mile north of Cove Fort State Monument, said Richfield Interagency Fire Center spokesman Wallace Shiver-decker.
Flames along the west side of I-15 crossed the freeway Sunday when burning embers became airborne - forcing highway officials to close a section between Cove Fort and Scipio for several hours.
"Part of southbound I-15 was shut down and (troopers) were escorting northbound traffic about 15 cars at a time because of low visibility," said Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Verdi White II.
The fort is reportedly separated from the flames by an irrigated field and is not in danger.
The South Twin Peaks fire has reportedly burned about 30,000 acres of pinyon junipers and sage on Bureau of Land Management property, said Shiverdecker.
"We're really focusing today on cooling down hot spots and strengthening our lines," said Shiverdecker.
Crews have almost contained the other blazes that make up the Sorenson complex. The Sorenson fire near Kanosh has burned about 1,000 acres, while the Flowell fire charred 1,200 acres of brushland about 12 miles west of Fillmore.
"We'll spend most of the day just mopping up some of the (smaller) fires," said Shiverdecker.
Meanwhile, crews hope to contain the Eightmile fire burning west of Scipio on Tuesday evening. The 4,700-acre blaze intermittently halted traffic along I-15 on Saturday and forced officials to temporarily cut power to several Millard County homes after flames moved down the power line corridor.
The blaze also threatened telephone and radio towers in Scipio Canyon.
High humidity and the possibility of rain had crews optimistic Mother Nature would lend a hand Monday.
"The winds have also been light, but there is also a high probability of lightning Monday," said Shiverdecker. "We don't anticipate much rain after today, so we expect extreme fire conditions in the area over the next 70 days."
Crews are also battling a rugged brush fire near the Utah-Nevada border. The Pole Canyon fire has burned about 300 acres since igniting last week.
There are eight large uncontained wildfires burning in Utah, Idaho, California, Wyoming and Arizona, totaling 133,148 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Almost 2,600 firefighters are battling wildfires in the West.