The Beulah Fire burning through the Uinta Mountains in northern Utah has continued to grow as firefighters face challenging conditions, according to a Wednesday morning update from the incident management team in command.

According to the team, the fire has grown to 4,096 acres and remains at zero percent containment.

The update said that, as of Wednesday, there were 462 people working to tame the flames.

Among the challenges firefighters face are beetle-killed trees, which the update says have been dead in the High Uintas for about 15 years.

“The extreme hazard of falling, fire-weakened trees is preventing safe engagement of firefighters directly on the fire’s edge,” the incident management team said. “With safety as the highest priority, firefighters are implementing a more indirect approach.”

The update also said the relative humidity would continue to drop, and winds from the northwest increase and shift west Wednesday afternoon. There also was a slight chance of dry thunderstorms over the fire later Wednesday.

“The National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch for [Thursday] due to dry fuel conditions and increasing chances for thunderstorms,” the update said. “Fire behavior is expected to moderate somewhat but erratic winds may occur near thunderstorms.”

Crews worked Tuesday to contain the northern portions of the spreading fire, according to the update. On Wednesday, the update said, heavy equipment operators planned to create an indirect containment line at North Slope Road, with hand crews working to secure the northernmost portion of the fire — while looking for ways to fight other spot fires in the area.

“Crews will continue to strengthen indirect containment lines, install water systems and improve structure defenses around the fire area,” the update said.

Several roads, trails and forest areas remain closed due to the fire.