Wildland firefighters continue to battle the Millville Fire that has already burned around 2,000 acres of land in Cache County.
Crews will spend the day constructing a fire line around the blaze, located between Blacksmith Fork and Millville canyons. U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Charity Parks says the fire was five percent contained as of Monday morning. She says two lightning strikes sparked the blaze early Sunday morning.
Around 150 personnel are working on the fire, including five hand crews, five engines, two helicopters, and two air tankers.
“We have five hand crews and they’re all out working on the perimeter of the fire with hand tools and chainsaws,” she said. “They’re pretty much working the edge of the fire to make a line all the way around the perimeter of it.”
The Utah National Guard on Monday tweeted that three Blackhawk helicopters had dumped nearly 53,000 gallons of water on the Millville Fire and State Fire – a separate wildfire burning near the Utah-Idaho border. The helicopters are expected to be on scene throughout the day.
Parks says Millville Canyon is closed to all access. Blacksmith Fork Canyon remains open to through traffic only, but Parks urged drivers to use caution as fire apparatus travel the roadway.
No structures are threatened and no injuries to firefighters have been reported.