Utah wildfire grows to 92,000 acres with zero containment

The Cottonwood fire in Utah's Fishlake national forest grew from roughly 70,000 acres to more than 92,000 acres between Friday night and Saturday morning. Low humidity and strong winds drove the expansion, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Hundreds of firefighters have been assigned to the blaze, which remains at zero percent containment and is currently the largest active wildfire in the United States, the National Interagency Fire Center said.

No injuries or deaths have been reported.

Damage and restrictions The fire has damaged property at a ski resort in Beaver county and prompted the closure of the national forest. Officials have advised residents northeast of the fire, including in Marysvale, that smoke is producing unhealthy air quality.

State authorities issued a red flag warning on Thursday citing rapid spread risk. They also placed temporary restrictions on fireworks use ahead of the July Fourth holiday.

Fire activity this year Utah has recorded 380 fires so far this year, with humans responsible for 273 of them, according to a state government dashboard. Two additional fires near Eureka have burned about 70,000 acres combined and prompted evacuations.

Officials said weather conditions may improve slightly on Saturday but warned that rising temperatures and winds could produce extreme fire behavior in the afternoon.