Fire near Beaver Mountain grows to 970 acres


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GARDEN CITY, Rich County — A fire raging near Beaver Mountain grew to 970 acres Wednesday and now straddles the Utah-Idaho border, according to authorities.

The Peterson Hollow Fire, centered on the area north of Beaver Mountain and south of the state border, was 10 percent contained Wednesday evening. No structures have been directly threatened, said Bureau of Land Management spokesman Russ Oaks.

The cause of the northeast-moving wildfire has not been released. Conditions for fighting the fire have been poor, and the blaze has more than doubled in size since Monday, according to U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Sierra Hellstrom. More than 200 firefighting personnel are assigned to the fire.

"(Tuesday's) strong winds caused extreme fire behavior and cross-canyon spotting," Hellstrom said in a prepared statement.

Beaver Mountain is not in immediate danger, but protections are in place there in case the fire moves in its direction, she said.

The Peterson Hollow Fire has spread to Idaho and is burning in areas with limited road access. The fire is also visible from U.S. 89, which has created some traffic backup, Hellstrom said.

"We ask the public not to pull over on the side of the highway," she said. "It is causing a traffic hazard and has become an immense safety concern. (Police) will be patrolling the area to keep traffic moving."

Peterson Hollow, Beaver Creek, Highline and the Utah side of Sink Hollow remained closed to the public. Swan Creek was added Wednesday to the list of closed areas.

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Ben Lockhart

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