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MARYSVALE, Piute County — The Silver King Fire in southern Utah has expanded to approximately 5,400 acres and "is exhibiting extreme fire behavior," according to Utah Fire Info.
The fire is burning about 8 miles west of Marysvale and was sparked by lightning on Friday, according to Marysvale Fire Chief Jon Christensen.
The fire progressed through Saturday evening, growing to an estimated 2,830 acres at 8:40 p.m. and then an estimated 5,400 acres by Sunday morning. The fire continued to push to the south through the Beaver Creek drainage with crews protecting the Historic Silver King Mine throughout the evening, working to prevent the spread of fire south, a statement from Utah Fire Info says.
About 9 p.m. on Saturday, residents in Bullion Canyon were advised to gather their belongings and that "they may need to evacuate tomorrow (Sunday) in the upper canyon above where the pavement ends or if they are right on Bullion Creek," in a Marysvale City Facebook post.
Additional assets from the Bureau of Land Management were to be sent Sunday morning to the area, said Christensen, adding the fire is a "beast."
Firefighters and aircraft will be working ahead of the fire to the east and the south, utilizing multiple air tankers, helicopters and ground resources such as bulldozers and additional heavy equipment. Fire managers were "assessing additional plans of action while crews are engaged in structure protection as needed" Sunday morning, according to Utah Fire Info.
Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson announced she was headed to Marysvale on Sunday afternoon on X for a briefing regarding the fire. A red flag warning remains in place through 9 p.m. Sunday amid record high temperatures, low humidities and winds up to 30 miles per hour out of the northwest.
Headed to Marysvale for a briefing on the #SilverKingFire and passed a caravan of Idaho City Hotshots. All hands on deck. We're grateful for the firefighters and emergency management personnel working around the clock to protect us. pic.twitter.com/NGByBxvuUk
— Deidre Henderson (@DeidreHenderson) July 7, 2024
