The Cottonwood fire, burning in a sparsely populated area of southern Utah, ballooned to more than 144 square miles by Sunday.
Utah declared a state of emergency and temporary fireworks ban on June 26 over extreme fire conditions and a growing number of blazes across the state.
Utah was battling 13 large wildfires by Saturday, including the largest wildfire in the nation, the Cottonwood fire, that started on June 22. By Sunday, the number of fires had been reduced to 11.
Utah State forester Jamie Barnes said June 25 that the flames are spreading farther and faster “under conditions that defy historical expectations.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced a state of emergency Friday as winds picked up, leaving crews with few options for slowing the flames spreading rapidly through tinder-dry forest. Air support from air tankers and helicopters were grounded in the dangerous conditions, with gusts up to 45 miles per hour, forestry officials said.
The Cottonwood fire, burning in a sparsely populated area of southern Utah, ballooned to more than 144 square miles by Sunday. It severely damaged the Eagle Point ski resort in Beaver County and other summer cabins, and forced mandatory evacuations. In the community of Marysvale, the smoke blocked out the sun Friday as ash rained down.
Forestry officials said the fire continues to burn unchecked. Smoke from the fire could be seen for hundreds of miles, from Utah’s Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks all the way to Colorado.
The critical weather conditions are expected to persist into Sunday.
Federal land managers closed public lands nearby as a precaution.
“There has been a great increase in the fire activity,” Alyssa Mason, a spokesperson assigned to the fire, said Saturday. “We are seeing extreme fire behavior out there with some crown runs and definitely some spotting.”
By Melanie Sun
