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PANGUITCH, Garfield County — Richard Burton and his family consider themselves "some of the lucky ones" because their cabin near Panguitch Lake has not been affected by the massive Brian Head Fire.

Burton saw maps of which areas were burning and saw that his cabin was "very close," which is why he is so grateful.

"We’re certainly grateful for all of the efforts (of the firefighters,)" Burton said. "It's a real tragedy that it happened at all."

Fire officials held a meeting Saturday afternoon to "talk to folks and alleviate some of their concerns," said Jesse Bender, spokeswoman for the Great Basin Incident Managent Team.

"We’ve been sending out updates. We’ve been posting on InciWeb (an incident information system) and on social media, and that’s all great sources for information, but it’s nothing in exchange for a face-to-face contact,” Bender added.

By Saturday night, the fire had grown to just over 40,000 acres and was 8 percent contained. Winds blowing north caused the fire to spread south across state Route 143 near Mammoth Creek and toward Prince Mountain. Forecasts call for the weather to moderate slightly Sunday with lighter winds from the northwest.

According to officials, a total of 29 crews, 41 engines, 11 helicopters and a total of 996 personnel are working to contain the blaze, which was started on June 17. Officials determined the fire was started by a cabin owner using a torch to burn weeds in dry conditions.

Thirteen homes and eight outbuildings have been destroyed by the fire, though fire officials said many other homes and buildings have been saved. Officials report is the largest fire burning in the United States at this time.

More than 750 people have been evacuated, including residents at Panguitch Lake, Horse Valley, Beaver Dam, Castle Valley, Blue Springs, Rainbow Meadows, Mammoth Creek, Dry Lakes, Second Left Hand Canyon and the entire town of Brian Head, officials reported.

State Route 143 is also closed from the cemetery in Parowan to milepost 50 outside of Panguitch. Mammoth Creek Road is also closed, and the Dixie National Forest has closed certain areas.

The Red Cross reported it is continuing to serve displaced residents. A shelter has been set up at Panguitch High School, 390 E. 100 South, and the organization has a service delivery site at the library in Parowan, 16 S. Main. Another service deliver site is scheduled to open in Panguitch Sunday at the high school.

Alison Berg is a Deseret News intern and journalism major at Utah State University. Contact her at aberg@deseretnews.com.

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