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On Monday, additional resources joined the firefighting team at the Halfway Hill Fire south of Fillmore, Utah. Some aircraft and crews were released from the nearby Dry Creek Fire as operations there scale back. The Halfway Hill Fire put up a large column of smoke that towered above the community Monday evening, as pockets of dead trees and heavy fuels burned in the interior of the fire perimeter, south of the South Fork of Chalk Creek and Pistol Creek Campground. Warm temperatures and low humidity enabled the fire to actively burn through the night. Infrared mapping showed the fire grew by about 300 acres yesterday.

Crews made progress strengthening and digging direct line on the western side of the fire yesterday. Fire operations specialists are assessing options such as existing roads, ridges and previous burns to contain the human-caused wildfire. Factors such as heavy fuels, steep and rugged terrain, lack of roads, gusty winds and heat are all taken into consideration as fire suppression strategies are developed.

Hot and dry conditions are predicted to continue throughout the week.  Isolated showers and thunderstorms are possible, which could cause gusty and erratic winds that can cause extreme fire behavior.  Wind has been the primary factor behind large growth of the Halfway Hill Fire.

Residents of the Virginia Hills subdivision are still under evacuation until fire managers and the Millard County Sheriff’s Office are confident residents can return to their homes safely.  The status of evacuations and closures is continuously monitored based on current and expected fire activity.

Please be aware of increased traffic in and around the fire area, particularly during early morning and late evening hours.  Safety of the public and firefighters is the first priority on this and all wildland fires.