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July 7, 2001--
Rain has greatly helped the firefighting effort in Utah.
The Interagency Fire Department says the moisture from Friday night and Saturday morning had a big impact on the large wildfires burning in Utah.
The fires near Tooele and on Antelope Island are not considered contained yet, but they are calm enough that many crews that had been working the fires have been reassigned.
July 6, 2001--
Rain and humidity helped firefighters battling blazes on Mount Nebo, near Tooele and in southwestern Utah, but a hard-to-reach fire on Antelope Island was spreading on Friday.
Fire officials expected to contain the 4,300-acre Mount Nebo fire, the state's largest, by Monday around 6 pm.
They plan to reopen the Nebo Loop road and area campgrounds on Saturday.
More than 340 crew members and two helicopters fought the blaze on Friday. It was 45% contained Friday night.
But even as firefighters got a leg up on the state's largest blaze, high winds off the Great Salt Lake fanned the flames at Antelope Island State Park.
By Friday morning, 2,000 acres had burned, fueled by light, dry vegetation.
All campers were evacuated from the island, except those in Bridger Bay.
Firefighters are making progress on a 730 acre fire near Tooele. It was 70 percent contained Friday afternoon.
Rain on Thursday kept the fire, which is about 3 miles south of Tooele, from flaring much further. Two air tankers and three helicopters continued to drop retardant.
Two 20-person crews were fighting the burn, and used a grader to build a fire line around a house half a mile from the fire.
A new blaze kicked up within a quarter-mile of the community of Terra in Tooele County.
Dispatchers in south-central Utah have also been inundated with reports of small fires, said Karen Feary, Richfield Interagency Fire Center logistics coordinator.
But firefighters in southern Utah got a break Thursday when heavy rain across the area doused all 40 lightning-caused blazes on the Arizona Strip.
Elsewhere in Utah:
_ Five small lighting-caused fires were discovered Thursday in Zion National Park, ranging in size from less than one to 140 acres, with the largest on Wynopits Mountain north of Orderville Canyon. Except for one that was supressed, all are being contained but will be allowed to burn themselves out.
_ The 60-acre Chipman fire, 11 miles southeast of Minersville in Beaver County, was controlled Thursday at 4 p.m.
_ The 60-acre Bandana Fire, five miles north of the town of Fruitland in Duchesne County, was sparked by lightning about 3 p.m. Thursday. Crews were on the scene.
_ Two small fires covering about 3 acres started Thursday night near the junction of U.S. 6 and Utah 33 near Helper. They are visible to motorists, but firefighters were not on the scene until Friday because of dangerous, rugged terrain.
(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Nation
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, "Wildland fire activity increased over the Fourth of July holiday as 22 large fires are currently burning in seven western
states. More than 700 fires were ignited during the past two days, a majority of which started in the western states by
a series of thunderstorms."
Since January 2001, more than 1.14 million acres have been affected by wildland fires, which is slightly below the
10-year average of 1.24 million acres.
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