ANTELOPE ISLAND — The wildfire burning on Antelope Island burned thousands of acres overnight.
The fire that was reported at 5 p.m. Friday has now burned an estimated 8,000 acres, said Shayne Ward, spokesman for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
Ward said active flames burned through the island’s dry vegetation as crews called off the fight overnight. There was no official containment estimate, but he said parts of the fire are controlled, including operations to keep Fielding Garr Ranch safe.
A video posted by Utah Fire Info showed the fire about a mile away from the ranch.
Ward said lightning is believed to have sparked the fire Thursday night and it took a full day to manifest before it was reported.
Several engines from the state and from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management are fighting the fire. He said one helicopter is dropping water, with two small air tankers dropping retardant and a bigger tanker on the way. He said a bulldozer is also effectively fighting the fire by ripping a control line through the landscape.
Ward reported the wildlife on the island is naturally staying away from the fire and the animals seem to be calm.
He asked drone operators to resist the temptation to fly in for photos. Drones put pilots in the air and crews on the ground at risk, he said.
Watch on #Periscope: Antelope Island Fire https://t.co/xtaFfwDjgy
— UtahFireInfo (@UtahWildfire) July 23, 2016
Contact Brett Hein at [email protected], follow on Twitter @bhein3 and find him at facebook.com/brettheinwrites.
———
©2016 the Standard-Examiner (Ogden, Utah)
Visit the Standard-Examiner (Ogden, Utah) at www.standard.net
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
