The Silver King Fire in south-central Utah had burned more than 5,400 acres as of mid-day Sunday, the U.S. Forest Service reported on social media.
The blaze is “exhibiting extreme fire behavior,” the U.S. Forest Service wrote.
Marysvale, a community of roughly 400 people in Piute County, is the closest town to the fire.
The fire has continued to progress over the weekend as firefighters battled record high temperatures and winds up to 30 miles per hour. It started Friday and the source is believed to be lightning.
Firefighters and aircraft were working the fire to the east and the south on Sunday, “utilizing aircraft including multiple Very Large Air Tankers (VLAT’s), helicopters and ground resources such as dozers and additional heavy equipment to reduce risks to the public and increase defensible space,” per the U.S. Forest Service.
The #SilverKingFire continued to progress through the evening hours. It is currently estimated at 5,400+ acres and is exhibiting extreme fire behavior. Firefighters and aircraft are working ahead of the fire to the east and the south, utilizing aircraft including multiple pic.twitter.com/DolkXG7P9S
— Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) July 7, 2024
Marysvale Fire Chief Jon Christensen said there were no evacuation orders issued as of Sunday morning.
“We’ve been checking in on folks, making sure they’re OK,” Christensen said. “Making sure that if they have to go, we’re as ready as we can be. But we are a small town of 400 people and unfortunately most of my fire is also EMTs and search and rescue. We’re all wearing so many hats.”
On social, the U.S. Forest service said fire managers are assessing additional plans of action while crews are engaged in structure protection.
A red flag warning remains in place through 9 p.m. Sunday.
This is a developing story and it may be updated.
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