Utah wildfire burns 13 homes as it spread

Two firefighters are recovering from injuries at a wildfire in southwest Utah that has forced the evacuation of more than 700 people and shut down part of a state highway.

Firefighting crews get ready to roll out for the day on the fire line, Monday, June 19, 2017, to put out a wildfire burning north of the southern Utah ski town of Brian Head, Utah.

Highway 143 is closed from the cemetery in Parowan to milepost 50 outside of Panguitch.

Brian Head Fire, from video uploaded to Inciweb June 21, 2017. She said the lake is also used by recreationists.

A 48-mile (77 kilometers) stretch of Highway 143 is closed from Parowan to Panguitch.

The blaze is one of several burning in the U.S. West as extreme heat makes it hard for firefighters to tamp down the flames.

It burned around the Thunder Ridge Boy Scout Camp, but minimal damage occurred thanks to the hard work of firefighters throughout the night. But that's secondary to her concern for what the town will look like when the fire is finally out.

The Brian Head fire has grown to nearly 28,000 acres overnight. "It was too close for comfort".

He said he was evacuated within a few hours of spotting flames.

The fire, which spans 43 square miles, is now the size of Provo City, which covers 44 square miles.

On the other hand, the police officials have stated that in initial reports, the fire did not occur naturally instead, it is caused by human, but who have done it and how the individual or a group did cause the fire is under investigation.

In New Mexico, residents went home and a highway through a popular mountain range was reopened after firefighters got a handle on a blaze that forced evacuations last week in Jemez Mountains.

In California, crews working in rugged terrain during punishing heat were struggling to contain a wildfire that's burned almost 2.5 square miles (6.5 square kilometers) in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles.

Airtankers dropped fire retardant and multiple helicopters dropped water on the edges of the fire throughout the day Tuesday.