FARMINGTON — Firefighters across the state kept their eyes both on the landscape and the weather Saturday.

Crews continued to battle more than a half-dozen wildfires from Garfield to Cache counties, while several also monitored storms that passed through parts of the state, bringing lightning, wind and welcome rain.

In Farmington, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Kim Osborn said bad weather did not hinder suppression efforts on the Farmington Spine Fire.

"We didn't get any of the weather others have gotten," Osborn said early Saturday evening.

Crews were able to bring that fire to 50 percent containment by Saturday night.

The fire that was very visible Friday night with its orange glow on the mountainside above Lagoon, east of I-15, had burned 58 acres, a revised figure down from 75 on Friday. By Saturday afternoon, it was hard to tell there was still an active fire.

Two air tankers, two helicopters, four engines and three 20-person crews were used to build firebreaks and prevent the flames from reaching any structures. Farmington Canyon was closed most of Saturday while crews battled the blaze.

The fire is human caused, though Osborn could not confirm Saturday whether target shooters sparked it. Five people, however, were questioned by the US Forest Service. It was unclear Saturday whether those five were still under investigation or had been cleared.

Related:

Brush fire above Lagoon may be linked to target shooters

Flames were visible east of Lagoon on Friday night as a small fire near Firebreak Road began to burn the hillside.

Late Saturday afternoon, the Forest Service asked for anyone who took a picture of the fire when it started on Friday, before it got dark, to email them at utahforesttips@gmail.com.

In Summit County, crews battling the Rockport Fire that has been burning since Tuesday and destroyed eight homes in the Rockport Estates and Rockport Ranches subdivisions got some welcome rain. Though there are concerns about debris flows on the scarred land, it did not rain enough for that to happen Saturday.

Approximately 110 homes remained evacuated, with residents not expecting to return until Monday night at the earliest.

The fire remained at 1,920 acres burned but the containment was upped to 70 percent. Hot spots that have been flaring up near homes in the Rockport Estates region continued to keep firefighters on their toes Saturday. The Rockport Fire was started by a lightning strike on Aug. 13.

In Tooele County, the 31,000 Patch Springs Fire, also started by lightning on Aug. 10, increased to 25 percent contained. The number of trailers burned was revised to 6. In addition, the Willow Springs Lodge, a 100 year old building was destroyed by the fire.

The evacuation orders for approximately 70 residents of Willow Springs and Terra were lifted Friday night. Power was restored to Terra and Dugway Proving Ground on Saturday night.

"Things looked really good today, overall. Even into the red flag conditions," said fire spokeswoman Teresa Rigby.

State Route 199 remained closed as additional storms with lightning moved through the area Saturday, hampering firefighting efforts. Firefighters had to be moved to safety as the lightning-filled storm passed over, which also created several additional smaller fires. The storm produced little rain, Rigby said. But the cloud cover came as a relief and crews were "still able to get progress made."

At least three firefighters have been treated for dehydration since the fire started, according to officials. Additional fire crews were expected to arrive Sunday to help.

Rigby cautioned those participating in the archery hunt they may experience more smoke in the area and asked that they be extremely cautious with campfires, avoiding them if possible.

Up north, the Millville Fire that started Aug. 11 by lightning, had burned more than 2,800 acres and grew to 35 percent containment by Saturday night. Evacuation orders for residences and campgrounds in Blacksmith Fork Canyon remained in effect Saturday. Subdivisions at the mouth of the canyon have not been evacuated.

Firefighters say extreme fire conditions and rugged terrain have made it a difficult wildfire to fight. Ground crews have been building fire lines while helicopters continued to make bucket drops on hot spots.

Near Eureka, the 1,600-acre 222 Fire was 5 percent contained. That fire was also sparked by lightning. There were no evacuations in place, but those participating in archery hunting season were encouraged to stay west of Cherry Creek Road.

Fire also continued to rage Saturday in the Sun Valley and Ketchum regions of Idaho.

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