By Jason Bergreen
The Salt Lake Tribune
Copyright 2007 The Salt Lake Tribune
All Rights Reserved
SALT LAKE CITY — Predictions made by fire officials in May that Utah could experience major wildfires this season are coming true.
“It’s looking that way now,” said Utah Interagency Fire spokeswoman Kathy Jo Pollock. “This last week has been extremely busy.”
To date, 461 wildfires have burned 452,419 acres in Utah, said National Interagency Fire Center spokesman Don Smuthwaite.
That’s compared to 322 wildfires in Nevada that have consumed 134,142 acres and 574 fires in Colorado that have blackened 6,241 acres.
In Idaho, 385 fires have burned 155,044 acres, and Oregon has had 606 fires across 78,205 acres. Even California, which typically burns more acreage, is at 4,114 fires but only 103,094 acres.
“Looks like in the West, you’re No. 1,” Smuthwaite said. “Let’s hope the season moderates soon in the Beehive State.”
On Thursday, fire crews in Utah were still battling four active wildfires in as many counties. Those fires, located between Roosevelt and Beaver, accounted for 412,000 acres.
The largest is the Milford Flat fire that was started by lightning on July 6. It has blackened more than 363,000 acres three miles north of Milford in central Utah and is 65 percent contained.
“We do have large fires in Utah most every year,” said Pollock. “But not as large as this one.”
This year’s blazes have already burned 100,000 more acres than all of last year. In 2006, Utah’s 1,843 fires blackened 340,572 acres, said Jill Leguineche, Eastern Great Basin Coordination Center intelligence officer.
Since January, Utah wildfires have killed five people, destroyed 12 homes and 28 outbuildings, sheds or power poles, Leguineche said.
The smallest, but most pressing fire is the Mathis fire near Kenilworth, which has burned almost 2,000 acres and is threatening methane gas wells near the Aberdeen mine. It is 50 percent contained.
The other fires include the Neola North fire near Roosevelt, which has burned nearly 44,000 acres since June 29, but is 83 percent contained. The Greenville Bench fire, which started Tuesday near Beaver is at about 14,600 acres and 30 percent containment.