Monday's strong winds made firefighters' jobs more difficult as they worked to fight a southern Utah wildfire that has forced more than 1,500 people to evacuate from nearby areas. 

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Authorities said they plan to order more evacuations, according to the Associated Press. The fire has torched more than 77 square miles and cost more than $7  million to fight. 

(MORE: Utah's Brian Head Fire Chases More Residents From Their Homes)

The fire, which has been referred to as the Brian Head fire after the area where the fire began, was started by a person who was using a torch to burn weeds on June 17. 

Nearly 1,000 firefighters are working to contain the blaze. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire was 9 percent contained. 

"This is a catastrophic fire, no two ways about it," Garfield County Sheriff Jim Perkins said, according to KPTV.com.

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