Fire crews battling a wildfire west of Rush Valley are inching closer to containment, according to the Bureau of Land Management.
The fire was started by a lightning strike late Friday night and crews were forced to cease efforts to extinguish the blaze due to the lack of light, according to BLM information officer Andrew Atkinson. Estimates of the fire’s size began at 175 acres before being upgraded to 265 acres, while firefighters from the Rush Valley and Stockton fire departments battled the blaze.
After the initial spread, the fire has not spread within the past two days and a perimeter has been established, Atkinson said. Dry vegetation and swirling winds on Saturday were the main source of the fire spreading, he said.
“The winds were pretty erratic,” Atkinson said. “The wind shifted a few times and moved it a few different directions.”
The fire started in fields that are considered sage grouse habitat and structures in the area were not immediately threatened, according to utahfireinfo.gov.
Fire crews are currently holding the blaze at 30 percent containment and if everything goes well, the number should inch upward through tomorrow and the next day, Atkinson said. The edge of the containment line remains hot near the source of the fire, he said.
A handcrew, eight fire engines, a water tanker and a bulldozer were at the scene of the fire Monday evening, according to utahfireinfo.gov.