Firefighter injured in Duchesne County

U.S. Forest Service spokesman Louis Haynes confirmed that emergency medical crews are working to get to the injured firefighter. Haynes did not have any information on the nature of the injury, its severity, or the identity of the man.

"All I know is we've got one hurt and they're going up there to take care of him," Haynes told the Deseret News.

The Mill Hollow Fire has been burning since June 23 in the south unit of the Ashley National Forest about 15 miles north of Helper. It was sparked by a lightning strike and had grown to 533 acres by Wednesday night.

The Forest Service is managing the fire — which is burning largely in stands of beetle-killed Douglas fir trees — for "resource management" to reduce dangerous fuel loads in the Mill Hollow area. The blaze is also burning stands of sub-alpine fir, aspen, pinion juniper and sagebrush.

"It's doing good stuff out there," Haynes said. "It's low intensity; getting the beetle-kill taken care of for us so far."

As of Wednesday night 43 firefighters, three engine trucks, two helicopters, and one hand crew of 15 firefighters were assigned to the blaze.

The Ourada-Soper Wildland Fire Use Management Team assumed control of fire operations from Ashley National Forest personnel this morning.

E-mail: geoff@ubstandard.com

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