Updated Saturday, July 4th 11am: The Babylon Fire in southeastern Utah is now mapped at 87,554 acres and remains 0% contained.
The U.S. Forest Service says 730 personnel are assigned to the fire.
Firefighters made progress Friday on suppression efforts around homes, ranch structures and historic sites. Crews are using direct attack where possible and indirect confinement strategies where terrain, fuels and fire behavior make direct work unsafe.
In the northwestern area, safety preparation around local trailheads and historical sites is complete. That is allowing resources to shift west into basin country to scout the fire’s edge.
To the north, crews confirmed that protective measures around ranch properties are finished, while firefighters continue clearing dry brush and vegetation along road systems. On the northeastern side, crews improved defensive lines and worked to protect vulnerable structures threatened by the fire.
In the southeast, officials say the fire is slowly creeping through continuous vegetation just over a mile from structures. Crews and fire engines are actively clearing defensive lines along road systems in that area.
Toward the southern heel of the fire, helicopters have been dropping water to cool hot spots and support ground operations. On Saturday, firefighters are expected to continue road preparation, use direct extinguishment where needed and push farther into the western perimeter while developing a strategy to safely contain areas where the fire edge has been nearly stationary for the past three days.
Weather remains a concern. Fire officials say Sunday is expected to be hotter and drier, likely marking the driest day of the week. Dry conditions and an unstable atmosphere could increase the potential for flare-ups and large smoke columns, especially in thick stands of pine and timber visible from Monticello and Blanding.
Looking ahead to early next week, dry thunderstorms could bring lightning and erratic winds with little to no relieving rainfall over the fire area.
Major closures remain in place. All National Forest System lands, roads and trails within the Monticello Ranger District of the Manti-La Sal National Forest are closed. The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park is also closed.
The Bureau of Land Management has also issued an emergency closure for BLM-administered public lands west of Harts Draw Road, extending north through the Indian Creek Corridor to Indian Creek Falls and including Shay Mesa, Beef Basin, Dark Canyon and the Sweet Alice Wilderness Study Area.
Non-operational personnel should avoid closed areas and public lands bounded by State Route 211 to the north, U.S. Route 191 to the east and State Route 95 to the south.
