This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Firefighters spent Thursday mopping up and suppressing the Brian Head Fire, which had reached 69,560 acres.
The fire had made another run early Thursday morning, but crews limited the southern Utah blaze's growth to less than 1,200 acres of remote, rugged and steep timber and brush.
The fire, sparked by a weed-burning project on private property June 17, was 75 percent contained Thursday, said Hayden Houston, a fire information officer. The 1,332 firefighters still on the scene expected to complete lines around the flames by July 15.
"Things are looking good today, despite that run on the northeastern flank overnight," Houston said.
The flames, continued to burn along slopes of beetle-killed trees as well as older growth stands of conifer, fir and spruce. A fleet of helicopters and air tankers were bombarding hot spots and flareups with water and fire retardant chemicals.
Early on, the fire had destroyed 13 homes and forced evacuation of 1,500 residents in the area of the Brian Head resort. No further structural losses have been reported and evacuations were finally lifted earlier this week.
While firefighters deemed the blaze was in hand, crews still warily watched the skies for the isolated, dry thunderstorms forecast through the end of the week.
Twitter: @remims Utah wildfires •
As of 7/5, Utah has experienced 343 human-caused wildfires totaling 113,048 acres.
— Source: Interagency Fire Center