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Utah's Saddle Fire grew to 209 acres in the Pine Valley Wilderness of Dixie National Forest on Saturday, fire officials said.
Crews had yet to make any progress on containing the wildfire, which was burning heavy dead and downed timber and brush in bowls along the steep and rocky mountainside about 2.5 miles southwest of the town of Pine Valley.
"We understand the concern from the residents of central Utah and Pine Valley because there is a lot of smoke and the fire is visible, particularly at night," said Chris Henrie, the Saddle Fire incident commander, in a news release. "Firefighters are improving the fire breaks around Pine Valley and are preparing for the fire to get to an area that will allow us to attack it."
The fire, which was sparked by lightning Tuesday, had grown almost 50 acres since Friday night, but new firefighters were on the scene Saturday.
Hand crews were working throughout the day to improve the fuel break surrounding the community. Crews from Oregon and Montana arrived to help fight the fire alongside local firefighters, according to fire prevention and education tech Kayli Yardley.
There were 175 firefighters from two hotshot crews, two Type 1 initial attack crews and three engines on the scene, she said. A new Type 3 incident management team was also on the scene.
But rocky areas and steep slopes prevented the firefighters from safely attacking the fire.
Officials said coordinated ground and air efforts, weather permitting, would occur when the fire entered an area with fewer hazards.
"One of our objectives is to protect infrastructure in communities, campgrounds, private lands, water systems and municipal watersheds,"Henrie said. "We actually have two major safety goals, one to protect the lives of our firefighters and the other to protect the public, their homes and the community."
As of Saturday afternoon, there had been no evacuations, no structures threatened and no road closures in place.
The Goat Spring Trail was closed, but no other recreational areas had been affected.
Interagency Fire Information Officer Cigi Burton warned, however, that the public is advised to avoid all areas near the fires.
Two other lightning-sparked wildfires burning in southern Utah had not spread since Friday, and crews aggressively worked toward containment.
The 355-acre Aspen Fire had 50 percent containment Saturday evening, while less than a mile away, the Pine Canyon Fire burned steadily at 105 acres with 76 percent of it contained.
The Aspen Fire, located 13 miles southwest of Cedar City, was discovered Wednesday, but likely had begun to burn days earlier.
Crews from Idaho joined Utahns for a combined force of 475 people Saturday — with seven engines, two bulldozers, three helicopters, five engine air tankers, three heavy air tankers, nine Type 1 hotshot hand crews and nine Type 2 hand crews, according to Forest Service spokeswoman Kim Osborn.
Some crews were focused on extinguishing several spot fires on one side of the blaze. Others were working to clear vegetation near structures.
She said strong winds that began Friday slowed down some Saturday and didn't seem to be hindering the fight.
About 20 homes and ranches in the area remained under threat, with evacuation plans in place, but none had been implemented as of Saturday evening.
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