Firefighters battling 2 wildfires in Beaver County; Baboon Fire grows to 300 acres, Greenville at 85% contained

File photo of the Greenville Fire near the campground at Minersville Reservoir in Beaver County, Utah, Aug 22, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Beaver County Commission, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Firefighters in Beaver County are now battling blazes on two fronts after the 1,800 acre Greenville Fire was joined by the “Baboon Fire,” a lightning-caused wildfire that has burned through more than 300 acres near Minersville Sunday.

Updated Aug. 24, 4 p.m.: The Greenville Fire was mapped at 1100 acres on Monday and is 85% contained, while the Baboon Fire has spread to an estimated 305 acres and is 20% contained, according to Utah Fire Info. 

Map of Baboon Fire, shown on the bottom left, a 300-acre fire, and the Greenville Fire (shown on the right) that is 1,800 acres. Both are lightning-caused and burning near Minersville in Beaver County. Utah, Aug. 23, 2020 | Image courtesy of the Interangency Fire Center, St. George News

The Baboon Fire was reported shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday and is burning off of state Route 130 near mile marker 32, southwest of Minersville. Meanwhile, the Greenville fire continues to burn to the east, according to the Color Country Interagency Fire Center. 

As of 1:50 p.m. Sunday, the Baboon Fire is spreading and burning through grass, brush and juniper trees and is 0% contained.

With the Greenville Fire, state Route 21 near the Minersville Reservoir in Beaver County was reopened shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday after authorities closed the highway due to the growing wildfire in the area. The fire is reportedly 50% contained, as of 11:30 a.m. Sunday., according to Utah Fire Info. 

The forecast by the National Weather Service released Sunday morning shows conditions that may hamper fire suppression efforts, as showers and early evening thunderstorms develop across southwest, central and eastern Utah. While the storms will generate little or no rain, they could produce gusty winds and lightning strikes.

Critical fire weather conditions will exist across much of southern and eastern Utah through mid-evening.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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