ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) -- A quiet Sunday morning turned into a busy afternoon for firefighters battling a 15,000-acre wildfire in southern Utah.
Strong winds kicked up Sunday afternoon and combined with hot temperatures and already-dry conditions got the largest of several fires going again.
``This particular one just really heated up and took off,'' said David Boyd, a Bureau of Land Management fire information officer. ``It's been smoldering all morning, but it's really making a run now.''
Boyd said by Sunday afternoon, the fire northwest of St. George had consumed 12,000 acres, all but a few hundred of which had gone up since Saturday afternoon. About 3,000 more acres had burned by Sunday night in the fire, which was sparked by lightning Friday.
The fire got within a mile of a big power and gas area, but fire crews cleared out more neighboring vegetation to keep the flames from shutting down the corridor.
``There's a cabin or two to the north that are threatened, but it's not burning toward any communities,'' Boyd said.
More than 200 firefighters, five helicopters and a single-engine air tanker were being used to try to get the fire under control. Boyd said it could take several days, depending on the weather.
A huge column of smoke was visible for miles, Boyd said.
