Out of State News: Utah wildfire causes death of two Californians

MILLARD COUNTY, Utah (ABC 4 News) - A 150,000 plus acre wildfire has forced the closure of Interstate 15 for almost a 100 mile stretch from Scipio to Beaver, fire officials said. Two Californians on a motorcycle were killed when traffic slowed down quickly because of the smoke.

The Milford Flat Fire, about 120 miles south of Salt Lake City, also forced the evacuations of Cove Fort and the Blundell Geo Thermal Power Plant in Sulpherdale, where the fire was threatening railroad lines, bridges and several residences, Color Country Fire Information Officer LaCee Bartholomew said.
Interstate 70 was also closed in Richfield, with traffic backed up for several miles.

Lighting sparked the fire Friday afternoon and was pushed north and west Saturday by high winds. It started in an open grassy area and moved quickly into rocky, hilly terrain and is threatening critical deer mule and sagebrush habitats, officials say. So far it's burned about 250 square miles.

Crews fighting the blaze on the ground had some help from air tankers, but the very heavy smoke was increasing the risk to firefighters. "It's really smoky and with fire that size you do have problems putting resources on the ground," Bartholomew said. "We need to be sure where everybody is."

Their efforts have also been hampered by an abundance of dry, fine grasses, high temperatures, low humidity and strong shifting winds.

Additional fire crews are expected to arrive Sunday. Officials say they're not even thinking about containment figures at this point because the fire is so huge.

In other parts of the state, authorities are trying to pinpoint the cause of the deadly Neola wildfire in Duchesne and Uintah counties. Officials have removed parts of a power pole as evidence in an ongoing investigation. "They asked us as part of the investigation if we would preserve them in the event they need them in the future," said Diana Rasmussen with Moon Lake Electric Association. "But we still don't see any evidence linking us to the cause of the fire."

Investigators have declined to discuss a possible cause of the fire, which by Saturday had burned 42,639 acres, or 66.6 square miles, killed three and destroyed at least a dozen homes. The wildfire is believed to have originated in the same area where the pole is located and weather is not believed to have been a factor.

On Thursday, investigators photographed the pole and met with Moon Lake Electric CEO Grant J. Earl. The association's insurance company has hired its own investigator, which the company said was typical in cases where there is considerable loss or questions of liability.

The Neola North fire, 100 miles east of Salt Lake City, was 55 percent contained Saturday. So far, the cost of fighting the fire is estimated at $4.9 million. The Black Rock Gulch Fire just south of Utah's border with Arizona had increased to 6,802 acres, or 10.6 square miles and was just 5 percent contained Saturday.