Utah moved to limit fireworks and declared a state of emergency Friday ahead of July Fourth festivities, as the nation’s largest wildfire pushed deeper into bone-dry forest and crews raced to contain new flare-ups across the drought-stricken state.
The National Weather Service also took the unusual step of issuing a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” alert, warning that parched vegetation, low humidity and strong winds were creating conditions ripe for additional fires across the western United States.
The Cottonwood Fire, burning in a remote stretch of southern Utah, ignited Monday and had surged to more than 112 square miles (290 square kilometers) by Friday, according to forestry officials. The blaze remained uncontained as high winds kept firefighting aircraft on the ground. It is one of six major wildfires active in Utah and has caused severe damage at Eagle Point ski resort in Beaver County, where mandatory evacuations were ordered.
“We have the 35 miles-per-hour (56 km/h) sustained winds that they predicted, and we definitely have the 45 miles-per-hour (72 km/h) gusts,” said Alyssa Mason, a spokesperson assigned to the fire. “So there has been a great increase in the fire activity. We are seeing extreme fire behavior out there with some crown runs and definitely some spotting.”
Smoke from the fire has drifted mainly east and northeast, so air quality at major tourist destinations such as Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks — well south of the flames — has not been heavily affected, aside from some haze around Bryce. Even so, visitors at Bryce have shared social media videos showing the massive smoke column rising in the distance.
The plume was visible for hundreds of miles, reaching as far as Colorado, while officials warned about 1,300 residents in Marysvale, Junction and Circleville to be ready to evacuate if the fire advances or conditions deteriorate.
State forester Jamie Barnes said Thursday that the fire behavior was unlike anything seen in recent memory, noting that blazes are now moving farther and faster “under conditions that defy historical expectations.”
On Thursday, 76-year-old Bruce Brown went with the sheriff to check on his cabin, only to discover that it and other nearby structures had been destroyed. What remained, he said, was a charred, moonlike landscape, with power poles toppled along the canyon.
Alyssa Olsen, 27, said her family’s cabin also burned. It was the last place they gathered for family photos with her grandmother before she died of cancer. Her brother was planning to get married there in two months.
“That stuff you can’t just build back,” Olsen said.
Fireworks will be limited in Utah through July 5
Gov. Spencer Cox set the temporary fireworks restrictions through July 5 as the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, saying “this year is different.”
The weather service in Salt Lake City, for the first time in the office’s history, issued a “Particularly Dangerous Situation ” warning for five Utah counties, including the area of the Cottonwood Fire. The rare alert was first used to warn of tornado conditions. A red flag warning also was issued for most of the state.
“Prepare now for rapid fire growth,” it said.
A similar “dangerous situation” warning had been issued for the 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. A federal judge declared a mistrial Friday in the arson case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of sparking that fire. The jury said it couldn’t agree on a verdict.
While the Cottonwood Fire’s cause was unknown, Cox’s order noted that humans have been the cause of most fires in the state so far this year.
The governor’s order gives Barnes power to restrict or prohibit fireworks displays in Utah’s cities and towns, instead of leaving those decisions to the communities.
With extreme fire conditions persisting, Rocky Mountain Power issued a public safety power shut-off watch/warning for areas of central, southern and eastern Utah through the weekend.
Crews also were battling the Iron Fire southwest of Salt Lake City. The flames on Thursday forced the temporary evacuation of Eureka, population 1,000.
Wildfire danger prompts concern throughout the West
Red flag warnings, which mean conditions such as low humidity, warm temperatures and strong winds can create an extreme wildfire risk, were in effect Friday and stretched from Idaho to southern Arizona and New Mexico.
The warnings extended into Saturday, with forecasters predicting winds of 25 to 35 miles an hour (40 km/h to 56 km/h) and very low humidity levels. The worst conditions were expected from northern Arizona into central and southern Utah.
Much of Utah already is experiencing severe to extreme drought, while parts of Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico are experiencing severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Tim Brown, a research professor and director of the Western Regional Climate Center, said the potential for extreme fire behavior will remain as long as it’s hot, dry and windy.
“I would not be surprised to see a lot of restrictions come out as we get closer to the July Fourth weekend,” he said. “People really need to be aware of their surroundings if they’re going to be out in the forested campground areas and grassland areas.”
Even in Florida, where there have been multiple brush fires, authorities are urging people to skip the personal fireworks and instead leave the pyrotechnics to professionals putting on carefully planned shows.
In Utah, federal land managers have closed public lands near the Cottonwood Fire as a precaution, and in New Mexico, forest officials closed campgrounds and trails near a wildfire burning in the Jemez Mountains.
Nationally, nearly 3 million acres have burned since the start of the year, pushing the U.S. ahead of the 10-year average. The National Interagency Fire Center said firefighters are making progress on containing fires from Alaska to Florida.
