SALT LAKE CITY -- Spotty rain helped firefighters battle a massive blaze in central Utah on Sunday, although much more precipitation was needed to get the fire anywhere near under control.

The slight rain and increased humidity were welcomed by fire crews, who kept the 28-square mile fire from spreading much during the day.

"The rain definitely helped. The moisture in the air probably helped as well," fire information officer Michelle Fidler said Sunday night.

The Salt Creek fire remained at 15 percent contained Sunday. The fire began Friday and strong winds whipped the flames across areas full of dry vegetation, which ignited quickly and spread for miles.

The blazing heat and erratic winds had firefighters cautiously trying to pick where they could try to slow the blaze and not put themselves in too much danger. Flames shot 80 to 100 feet in the air overnight.

By Sunday, a few showers helped keep the flames in check as two more handcrews joined the effort to slow the blaze. There was no estimate on when the fire would actually be contained.

"We're going to need significant amount of wetting rain to make a difference in this fire," Fidler said.

Gov. Jon Huntsman surveyed the area Saturday and asked for federal assistance, which was granted within two hours.

Ricardo Zuniga, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said a shelter was set up at North Sanpete High School in Mount Pleasant, about 90 miles south of Salt Lake City. Zuniga said about 250 people had been affected by evacuation notices in Oaker Hills, Indian Ridge, Elk Ridge, Indianola and Holiday Oaks.

Crews took advantage of the weather Sunday and were able to clear some areas of the dried brush that fueled the fire.

"When we start getting crews in, then we can get out there and start building lines and pinching this thing off," fire information officer Bert Hart said. "Everybody's short of resources throughout the West right now. Everybody is trying to make do with what they have."

Several other wildfires were also burning in other areas of the state. The Dairy Valley fire, which was sparked Friday by lightning, was up to 25,000 acres -- or 39 square miles -- in the northwest corner of Utah.

Workers on ranch hands on the north side of the fire were told to evacuate.

There was some progress in a fire that has been burning in southwest Utah since July 16.

The Dakota Hill complex fire, which caused backcountry areas in Zion National Park to close, had increased only slightly from Saturday to Sunday as milder weather assisted fire crews. The fire had burned about 15,000 square miles as of Sunday.

"We are making a lot of progress," fire information officer Deanna Younger said. "Cloud cover the past couple of days has helped fire behavior, so that has helped us get in there and do burnout operations."