Wildfire in Tooele

By Tracy Medley, 6-05-07

A 10,000-acre fire is currently raging in Tooele County this evening. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the Aragonite exit on Interstate 80 has been closed to excessive flames fueled by heavy winds.

Firefighters are doing there best to maintain the fire that started around 1 p.m. in the Cedar Mountains. According to The Tribune the Northern Utah Interagency Fire Center spokeswoman Erin Darboven confirmed that about 10 miles of undergrowth near the Dugway Proving Ground has been destroyed.

The blaze is expected to be contained sometime Wednesday afternoon.

Tuesday, Christopher Smart at The Tribune hinted that the Utah was primed for an imposing wildfire season.

“The stage is set” Mike Melton told The Trib. Melton who is the state fire manager for Beaver, Iron, Garfield, Kane and Washington counties continued, “The drought has put fuels at a critical point, and the bettles have created a big mess for us, I’m worried. The whole area will be prone to wildfire.”