Lightning-started fires are burning in several areas of San Juan County that are visible from Blanding, Monticello and Cortez, Colo., officials with the U.S. Forest Service said this week.

Several fires are burning on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and are being suppressed by the BLM with interagency support from a few Forest Service engines and hotshot crews from out of the area, according to a news release from the Forest Service.

Two other lightning-ignited fires continue to be monitored by the Abajo Wildland Fire Module, under the supervision of Fred Kaminski of the Manti-La Sal National Forest, who is serving as the strategic operational planner.

Both fires are located on the edge of the Dark Canyon Wilderness Area on the west side of the Monticello Ranger District.

Because weather and fuel conditions are favorable in these remote areas, forest managers are allowing these fires to burn for the long-term benefit of forest health, said Brian Mattox, of the Forest Service.

According to Mattox, the Cooper Springs fire is consuming thick areas of manzanita and sage – interspersed with small groups of pinyon and juniper – under larger ponderosa pines atop Dry Mesa. The 50-acre fire is expected to grow through the week as it moves along the rim above the Dark Canyon Wilderness Area.

The nearby 20-acre Duck Lake Fire is creeping through a former timber-harvest area that has a number of roads and other barriers that should limit its spread, Forest Service officials said. Fire crews are taking steps to protect the Gooseberry guard station in case the fire moves in that direction.

Among the eight new fires that were ignited Sunday, Aug. 2, one was in the Book Cliffs near Price and another, which has been deemed human-caused, burned an area along I-70.

Three fires involved just a single tree, and three others grew to more than 10 acres, according to the news release.

Those who plan to visit area forests of southeastern Utah are cautioned to stay clear of fires and check for possible trail or road closures. For more information, contact the Monticello Ranger District at 435-587-2041. Additional information is also available at www.utahfireinfo.gov.