This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Crews continued to battle the 1,193-acre Saddle Fire in Dixie National Forest, ending Saturday with 5 percent containment as the blaze burned within a half-mile of the nearest home.
Weather conditions and 530 fire personnel prevented the wildfire — sparked June 13 by lightning — from spreading Friday night, a Bureau of Land Management news release said. But officials were concerned it could come dangerously close to 500 mostly seasonal residential properties. Washington County declared a fire-related state of emergency Tuesday.
A voluntary evacuation was in place for Pine Valley residents, and those who chose to stay were warned they might need to leave on short notice.
The Pine Valley Recreation Area, with its many campgrounds and hiking trails, remained closed.
Officials expected the wildfire to grow farther to the east, northeast and southeast in Lloyd Canyon. Crews dropped about 22,000 gallons of retardant Saturday to limit spread on the southern ridges.
"We need moisture — lots of moisture," Saddle Fire spokesman Christian Venhuizen said.
Meanwhile, firefighters would focus on protecting communities, Venhuizen said. A perimeter had been set on the west side of the blaze, he said, and crews were still working on fuel breaks.
In Box Elder County, a human-caused wildfire that broke out Friday evening grew to 6,468 acres overnight, according to Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands spokesman Jason Curry. The Peplin Fire, just south of Kelton, was burning mostly grass, and it appeared Saturday morning that the fire would not grow much more, Curry said. It was 85 percent contained as of 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Crews anticipate full containment by Sunday afternoon.
Throughout the night, "erratic" winds worked against firefighters, but Curry said conditions were calmer Saturday, and no structures were threatened.
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