Cove Fort • The Utah Department of Transportation says a 23-mile stretch of Interstate 70 that was closed because of a wildfire in south-central Utah is expected to fully reopen Saturday evening.
I-70′s westbound lanes east of the junction with Interstate 15 were reopened late Saturday afternoon after being closed about four earlier hours earlier, but Utah DOT and the state Highway Patrol said eastbound lanes remained closed due to a controlled burn.
Officials said the closure of I-70 in both directions was due to safety concerns for firefighters and the public.
The lightning-sparked fire started July 17 about 7 miles east of the interstates’ junction near Cove Fort about 155 miles south of Salt Lake City.
The fire had burned about 1.7 square miles and was 15 percent contained Saturday.
It was burning in forest and rugged terrain, which limited the access of firefighters who were using burnout operations and other indirect tactics as aircraft dropped retardant.
About 250 firefighters and other personnel are assigned to the fire.