Lead
Utah's Cottonwood fire has expanded to more than 92,000 acres (37,000 hectares), becoming the largest blaze currently burning in the United States, according to officials. The fire, which ignited Monday in the Fishlake National Forest in central Utah, intensified overnight from about 70,000 acres, and remains at 0% containment, the US Forest Service reported. Hundreds of firefighters are struggling to suppress the blaze as low humidity and strong winds accelerate its spread. No injuries or casualties have been reported. The fire has caused property damage at a ski resort in Beaver County and led to the closure of the national forest.
Coverage Comparison
Reports from The Guardian detail the severity of the Cottonwood fire and its broader regional context. One article focuses on the fire's rapid growth and the challenges faced by firefighters, citing state officials and the National Interagency Fire Center. Another article provides a wider view of wildfires across the US West, including a separate blaze in Utah's Juab County, and links the activity to extreme heat and dry conditions. Both reports attribute the fires to human activity and extreme weather, emphasizing the role of drought and wind.
Key Claims
The Cottonwood fire, as reported by The Guardian, has scorched 92,000 acres and is at 0% containment, making it the largest fire currently burning in the US, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The fire has not caused any reported injuries or casualties. Property damage has occurred at a ski resort in Beaver County, and the Fishlake National Forest has been closed. Authorities have cautioned residents living north-east of the fire, including in Marysvale, about unhealthy air quality from smoke.
Utah is experiencing an unprecedented wildfire season, according to state officials. Two fires burning near Eureka, about 80 miles south of Salt Lake City, have consumed approximately 70,000 acres combined and prompted evacuations. Separately, the Iron fire in Juab County has blackened more than 2,000 acres, forcing the evacuation of Eureka, a town of about 1,000 people. No homes have been lost there, and firefighters conducted a successful operation to protect the town, according to Utah Fire Info. The fire was human-caused and remains under investigation, said Kelly Wickens, a fire prevention specialist with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.
Statewide, Utah has seen 380 fires this year, with 273 caused by humans. Governor Spencer Cox implemented temporary restrictions on firework use ahead of the Fourth of July, noting that "we knew that there was going to be extreme fire danger, and sure enough we had multiple fires." Jamie Barnes, director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, said in a Thursday news release, "This is unlike anything we've seen in recent memory."
Beyond Utah, wildfires are burning in neighboring Colorado and Arizona. In Colorado, the south-west corner was under a red-flag warning issued by the National Weather Service, due to gusty winds and low relative humidity. In Arizona, a wildfire prompted evacuations near Sedona, burning about 300 acres of steep terrain near Oak Creek Canyon; the fire remained uncontained as of Sunday afternoon. Parts of southern California are under an extreme heat advisory, and much of Utah, Arizona, and Colorado are experiencing severe to extreme drought, as reported by the same outlet.