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A lightning-sparked fire has forced the evacuation of a southwest Utah town, closed two interstates, and contributed to the deaths of two motorists.
An evacuation has been ordered in Cove Fort, said Beaver County Sheriff Cameron Noel.
Several buildings are in jeopardy, including a gasoline station, some houses and the historic Cove Fort structure itself, said Millard County Sheriff's Lt. Roger Young. Also threatened are railroad bridges and crossings, communication sites and several residences.
The 160,000-acre fire is moving to the northeast, Young said. Authorities most recently have reported its northern boundary as near Kanosh.
Some 60 firefighters from federal, state and local agencies are battling the blaze from the ground, Young said. No helicoptors or other air support were at the fire as of 6 p.m., but the highly trained Type One Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team, which draws firefighters from across the U.S., was expected to arrive at the fire on Sunday.
The blaze has closed a 57-mile stretch of I-15 from Scipio to Cove Fort. It also closed Interstate 70 from Cove Fort to Richfield, a 28-mile distance.
Traffic is being routed to byways to the east, said Utah Department of Public Safety Lt. Steve Winward.
Winward said the fire has jumped the I-15 in one spot. Also, a crash between a truck and a motorcycle on the closed section of I-15 killed two people, Winward said.
The blaze, called the Milford Flat Fire, began Friday three miles north Milford and is burning northeast.
Officials believe the Milford Flat fire is the result of a lightning strike about 3:45 p.m. Friday. The fire started out small, but grew dramatically when 40 mph winds overnight spread the blaze, said Mike Melton, state fire manager for Beaver, Iron, Garfield, Kane and Washington counties.
The Interstate closed about 3 p.m. and officials do not know when it will reopen.
The Blundell Geothermal Power Plant was evacuated as the fire headed north and east toward the Mineral Mountains Saturday morning.