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CEDAR CITY — Crews are making "good progress" in their fight against a lightning-caused wildfire that has burned an area the size of more than 15,000 football fields, authorities said.
Lightning struck the area approximately 15 miles north of Cedar City. Thirty percent of the fire was contained on Saturday, and it was "less active than it was on Friday," according to a statement from Bureau of Land Management's Neck Fire information officer Nickolas Howell. The blaze has burned 17,800 acres, and is fueled by grass, sagebrush, pinyon and juniper.
It was originally estimated the blaze was at 25,000 acres, but that amount was later mapped at 17,800 acres.
The fire is not threatening any structures, no injuries have been reported and no one has been evacuated, according to Howell. Unpaved roads near the fire remain closed.
"Short fire runs in the grass are being observed," Howell's statement read. The fire is contained to "isolated torching" and "group tree torching."
At least 250 firefighters are assigned to the fire, taking advantage of the cooler weather by attacking it with heavy equipment on the ground and by air, according to Howell. More resources have been brought to the fire, which enables "firefighters to engage more areas of the fire’s perimeter."
