Crews mopping up stubborn eastern Utah wild..

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Slowed by poor accessibility and rugged, steep terrain, crews hoped Wednesday to finally put the lid on a still-smoldering wildfire in eastern Utah's Ashley National Forest.

About 150 firefighters had the nearly 300-acre Cow Hollow blaze 70 percent contained as of Wednesday morning and hoped for full containment by nightfall.

Fire Information Officer Louis Haynes said crews expected Wednesday to complete mopping up hot spots as they watched for any new flare-ups within the scorched expanse of spruce and fir about 9 miles south of Fruitland.

Haynes had predicted 100 percent containment by Tuesday night, but said high winds hampered efforts to snuff the flames.

The fire, sparked by lightning last Friday afternoon, caused no injuries and burned no structures.

Though air tankers and helicopters have dumped fire retardant and water on the flames, firefighting efforts primarily have been carried out by hand crews in the remote, hard-to-reach area.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims

Crews mopping up stubborn eastern Utah wildfire