The fire remains 35 percent contained.
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Late Monday afternoon, wind gusts of up to 20 miles per hour pushed the fire northeast towards the lake communities of South Shore Village and Oak Shores.
MaryEllen Fitzgerald of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest said Tuesday the fire near the Utah-Idaho state line is within a quarter-mile of Beaver Mountain Ski Resort, which is on pre-evacuation notice.
Hot, dry and windy conditions have created a flawless storm for the spread of large wildfires in several western states, including a massive blaze in California that has destroyed 135-square miles of forest. The largest of those blazes, known as the Yale Road Fire, grew to almost 3,500 acres on Monday, as crews struggled to suppress the flames that have so far destroyed 10 homes.
Meanwhile, a fire in mountain areas east of Los Angeles that burned more than 100 homes was 100 percent contained after charring almost 57 square miles of drought-stricken brush.
Meanwhile almost 1,900 homes are threatened by a wildfire on California’s central coast that grew slightly overnight to almost 58 square miles.
He encouraged people to remove brush and other accelerants from areas around their homes to aid fire suppression efforts.
Fire spokeswoman Diley Greiser said early Monday that residents of at least 50 mostly rural homes near Lake Nacimiento were ordered to leave late Sunday.
About two dozen homes were evacuated Tuesday as aircraft dropped fire retardant to beat back a blaze burning north of Missoula.
The Chimney Fire is one of six large wildfires that more than 10,000 firefighters are battling statewide, which include the destructive Clayton Fire that’s almost contained in Lake County and the Soberanes Fire burning near Big Sur in Monterey County. Evacuations are ongoing, authorities said.
The fire burning timber in remote, mountainous backcountry was 50 percent contained and was expected to burn at least until the end of September.
A cool morning inversion layer calmed much of the fire to a smolder, but afternoon temperatures were set to rise and with them the chance of increased fire activity.
The flames expanded by almost 10 square miles Sunday.
Officials reported fire behavior was extreme on Monday and continued to challenge the control lines.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Tuesday that the blaze has charred almost 58 square miles of brush in San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties. It was ignited Saturday when a car’s broken catalytic converter sent hot debris into grassy rangeland.
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The fire has destroyed 36 homes, 16 outbuildings and damaged seven other buildings.
