Emergency crews are responding to a wildfire that started Sunday and grew overnight in Box Elder County. The Radio Hill Fire is burning on the hillside, north of Bothwell, in sagebrush and grasses.
Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands public information officer Jason Curry said they believe the fire started by lightning just before mid-night, when a band of storms came through the area and ignited a couple blazes. The fire quickly grew to over 900 acres overnight.
“We have a lot of resources working not only overnight but through the day today, explained Curry. “That includes aerial and ground resources.”
The fire is currently burning on private lands. It is approximately 10 percent contained. The other fires started by the storm have already been extinguished.
The fire has not burned any structures yet and is not threatening any presently. Fire fighters are concerned though that flames could shift and start pushing the fire toward a nearby neighborhood, said Curry.
“We are very concerned that if the fire continues to move, that it might threaten the Radio Hill subdivision. The neighborhood is a couple miles to the south.”
Emergency crews from Box Elder County, as well as from the state’s Interagency Fire Center, are battling the blaze. They are trying to stop its momentum.
The fire has produced thick smoke visible through Box Elder and parts of Cache County.
will@cvradio.com