OCR Text |
Show BLAA battles blazes caused by lightning A lightning storm which swept across Bureau of Land Management and Park Service lands Saturday northeast of Vernal caused two fires which had consumed over 3,000 acres Tuesday. The first fire was reported Sunday afternoon on Squaw Hill in the Island Park area. About 600 acres were burning by Tuesday and 27 BLM firefighters were maintaining the fire line. Fire retarding chemicals were dropped onto the fire from an airplane Monday night. BLM dispatcher Marilyn Stagg reported that the fire "really started burning" Monday morning because of high winds and the dry condition of the area. Another fire is burning about 2,500 acres on the rim of Diamond Mountain, northeast of here. The fire was reported Monday and 80 firefighters are battling the blaze. Also Monday night fire retardants were dropped on the blaze and tour pumper units "were being employed in an attempt to contain the fire Tuesday. Both fires are not on private property and are not threatening private property, Miss Stagg said. Firefighting crews from Salt Lake City and Montana have been called to fight the fires, and BLM officials released no time for when the fires would be contained. The lightning storm also caused several fires in Colorado. |