EUREKA, Juab County -- Residents here and in nearby Mammoth were back in their homes and state highways opened Monday for vacationers to enjoy what was left of the Fourth of July holiday following a weekend of wildfires in the area.
Officials at the Railroad Fire said they had the 61,400-acre blaze 70 percent contained, and they predicted the fire would be fully contained by Wednesday evening.Firefighters were planning to take advantage of expected lower temperatures and higher humidity Monday to clamp down more on the fire that was ignited by sparks from a passing train Friday and had closed U-36, U.S. 6 and the Little Saraha Recreation area over the weekend.
"There is supposed to be less wind and we'll probably get a lot done," said Susan Haywood, spokeswoman for the Interagency Fire Center in Richfield. "We're going to hit it hard today."
Fueled by dry brush and trees, temperatures in the 90s and winds gusting to more than 40 mph, the fire had charred more than 40,000 acres Saturday and increased to more than 60,000 Sunday.
A total of 427 people from fire agencies across the state were fighting the fire. Four helicopters, 35 engines, five dozers and two water tenders were also employed.
In other fires:
-- Strong winds caused a week-old fire on West Mountain in Utah County to flare up Sunday, burning hundreds of acres of land and threatening several structures.
The blaze, which began 10 days ago and was contained early last week, continued to burn Monday morning as crews battled flames fanned by 30 mph winds. In all, the fire has scorched 3,000 acres, according to Loyal Clark, public information officer for the Uinta National Forest Service.
"We're not putting an estimate on containment or control of this fire," Clark said.
Firefighters saved two radio towers located on top of West Mountain as fire retardant was dropped on the northeast side of the mountain. Two homes were briefly threatened but crews were able to conduct a back burn that removed nearby vegetation and altered the course of the flames.
The cause of the West Mountain fire is still under investigation.
Four 20-person crews have been battling the fire and no injuries have been reported. Because of the numerous fires in Utah and Juab Counties this weekend, a specialized team from Idaho arrived to relieve weary local firefighters. Clark said that onlookers have been gathering near fire scenes to observe fire fighting activities, blocking roads and making that task more difficult. "We need people to stay away," Clark said. "They can be ticketed."
-- Crews in Tooele's County's Rush Fire were hoping the favorable weather conditions would give them the break they needed to fully contain the 3,000-acre lightning fire that started Saturday south of Rush Lake and south of the town of Stockton.
Salt Lake Interagency Fire Center Manager Randy Scurry said Monday the fire is holding and they are experiencing no major problems with the fire at this point. They hoped to have it contained by 6 p.m. Monday
At one point the fire was near the Tooele Army Depot and had damaged communications systems on the top of the mountain.
-- The Cedar City District of the Bureau of Land Management reported a 2,400-acre fire burning 50 miles west of Milford in Beaver County.
The cause of the Meadow Spring Fire was still under investigation, but it was believed to be arson caused, a press release stated.
Anyone found responsible for the fire would be fined as much as $500,000, which is the projected cost under the present conditions, the release states.
High winds hampered air operations Sunday. The fire was burning in terrain consisting of rolling hills covered by dense stands of juniper and pinyon trees and threatened eight dwellings in the area.
Access was limited for the 200 workers fighting the blaze because of the thick, wooded area.
Fire officials were optimistic that it can be contained at 7 p.m. Monday.
Last Wednesday, the Cedar City District placed fire restrictions on all BLM lands in Beaver, Iron, Washington, Kane and Garfield counties because of extremely dry conditions and high temperatures. The fire order prohibits open fires, fireworks and restricts smoking.
-- Two fires, Black Ridge and Wrigley, caused by lightning, were burning Monday on more than 2,000 acres in eastern Grand County and on 3,000 acres in western Mesa County, Colorado.
Martin Esparza of the U.S. Forest Service said the Wrigley fire was 45 percent contained and officials didn't expect to have it controlled until Thursday.
He also said there was some concern it may threaten sacred American Indian lands where artifacts have been found, and also a wilderness study area is potentially at risk.
Rafters were discouraged from using this section of the river due to the heavy helicopter activity, and camping along the river in the area was also restricted.
Deseret News staff writer Jeff Call contributed to this story.