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Utah Wildfire Burns Over 92,000 Acres, Prompts Evacuation Alerts
A fast-moving wildfire in southern Utah has burned more than 92,000 acres with zero containment as of Saturday afternoon. Officials issued evacuation notices for three towns and closed nearby federal lands.
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A wildfire in southern Utah expanded rapidly overnight, driven by 45-mile-per-hour wind gusts and single-digit humidity that kept firefighting aircraft grounded. The blaze, known as the Cottonwood Fire, has burned more than 92,000 acres and remains at zero percent containment.
The U.S. Forest Service stated that conditions would improve only slightly on Saturday, with a warning that extreme fire behavior could still develop in the afternoon. Officials placed roughly 1,300 residents of Marysvale, Junction, and Circleville on pre-evacuation notice.
The Cottonwood Fire began Monday in a sparsely populated area of Beaver County. It has damaged the Eagle Point ski resort and forced mandatory evacuations in surrounding communities. Utah currently has 10 active wildfires burning across more than 172,000 acres. The Cottonwood Fire is the largest active wildfire in the United States.
State wildfire data show 376 fires have occurred in Utah this year, with 273 attributed to human causes. Officials have closed public lands near the Cottonwood Fire as a precaution. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for most of the state through Saturday.
A separate "Particularly Dangerous Situation" warning covered five counties including the fire area. Rocky Mountain Power placed parts of central, southern, and eastern Utah under a public safety power shut-off watch through the weekend. No injuries or deaths have been reported.
