SAN JUAN COUNTY, Utah — The rapidly expanding Babylon Fire in southeast Utah has forced the closure of numerous roads and parts of a national forest.
In just 24 hours, the fire burning in San Juan County has jumped from 300 acres to 16,171 acres, and remains zero percent contained. The fire is located one mile northeast of Babylon Pasture, and winds have pushed its growth to the northeast.
As crews attempt to battle the fire, windy conditions in the coming days, along with high temperatures and low humidity, are expected to keep fire activity high.
"Due to quickly changing needs of this wildfire, Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 2 has been ordered to support suppression efforts. Current resources are providing full suppression strategy to protect structures, infrastructure and other values while keeping firefighters and the public safe," officials said.
No evacuations have been ordered, although nearby residents are told to stay aware in case conditions change.
The following roads are now closed due to the fire:
- North Cottonwood Road
Junction of Kigalia and North Elk Ridge toward Big Notch
Causeway Road
- Bridger Jack Road off Highway 211
In addition, Manti La Sal National Forest has issued a closure order effective at noon Sunday, which closes all lands, roads, and trails within the Dark Canyon Wilderness and portions of the Bears Ears National Monument located in San Juan County on the Monticello Ranger District.
"The public is prohibited from entering the affected area which includes driving on closed Forest roads, or using trails within the closure boundary," the U.S. Forest Service said.
