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Monviso Fire on 65 acres in Summit County 5% contained

Posted at 5:11 PM, Jun 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-22 23:25:52-04

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah -- Fire officials have reached 5% containment on the Monviso Fire in Summit County, and Mirror Lake Highway and all campgrounds in the area are open again while a few cabins remain evacuated.

The Monviso fire was first reported Thursday afternoon, and a type 3 Incident Management Team began fighting the fire Friday. Friday night the acreage is estimated at 65 and containment is at 5 percent.

Fire officials say the Monviso area remains evacuated.

"There are still eight cabins that are under an evacuation order," said Jason Curry of the Utah Division of Fire, Forestry and State Lands.

Curry said flames are within a quarter mile of some of the homes.

"Fortunately the homes in this area have done some work and have some defensible space," Curry said.

Officials say fire crews established a line around most of the fire Friday, and Saturday they will focus on securing that into a containment line.

The fire is burning in a remote and rugged area of the North Slope of the Uinta Mountains.

The fire spread quickly after igniting because there are pockets of dead and downed trees in the forest, which is made up of mixed conifer trees. A lower than average snow fall over the winter has also contributed to dry conditions ripe for wildfires. High winds have also been an issue.

"It's extremely hazardous, and the fire danger yesterday with the winds were extreme," Curry said.

The State Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands says the fire started burning around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, and that it appears to have been human-caused.

About 120 people are battling the blaze and planes are dropping fire retardant on the flames.

"We have three Hotshot crews, three helicopters as well as about eight engines," Curry said.

Friday evening, fire officials said Mirror Lake Highway and all nearby campgrounds are open.