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BEAVER COUNTY -- Crews are slowly making progress on fighting Utah's largest Wildfire. The Twitchell Canyon fire has now burned 44,446 acres and is 30 percent contained.
Firefighters made good progress on the Southern flank of the fire Thursday. A dozer line was inserted from existing fire line toward Baldwin Ridge. However, crews are on high alert Friday because of the threat of gusty winds and thunderstorms.
This comes as frustrations are mounting and residents are fed up with the U.S. Forest Service for allowing the fire to burn for nearly two and a half months.
Beaver County Sheriff Cameron Noel said he's given up trying to cooperate with federal land managers.
"My concern is that if any farmer in Beaver burns a ditch bank and it gets out of control, I have to go and arrest him with reckless endangerment -- but what do we do with the Forest Service?" Noel told The Spectrum of St. George.
Fire officials are promising to redouble efforts to out the fire.
"It's a naturally caused fire. We're not sure where the rumors are coming from about it being out of control, but we do understand people's concern," fire spokeswoman Annette Grijalva-Disert said. "Right now the fire puts up a big plume of smoke, of course may be the cause for more concern, but we've brought in additional crews who are fully suppressing the fire. It's not out of control by any means."
The fire has caused 29 injuries among 572 firefighters assigned to it. A third of the injuries were minor, the rest related to respiratory problems and illness, officials said. Five helicopters and 10 fire engines have been assigned to it.
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Story written with contributions from The Associated Press
