Utah’s governor restricted fireworks and declared a state of emergency Friday ahead of July Fourth celebrations as the United States’ largest wildfire mushroomed in size. The National Weather Service issued a rare 鈥淧articularly Dangerous Situation鈥� warning as dry, windy conditions provided fuel for more fires across the western U.S.
The Cottonwood Fire in a sparsely populated area of southern Utah started Monday. It reached nearly 111 square miles (287 square kilometers) Friday and was entirely uncontained, forestry officials said. One of six large wildfires burning in Utah, it severely damaged the Eagle Point ski resort in Beaver County, forcing mandatory evacuations.
Bruce Brown, 76, said he accompanied the sheriff on Thursday to find that his 31-year-old cabin and others in the area were gone.
鈥淚t looks a lot like the moon,鈥� he said. 鈥淛ust burned out. Power poles tipped over all up the canyon.鈥�
Alyssa Olsen, 27, said her family鈥檚 cabin also burned in the fire. The house had a room with memorabilia from her grandfather鈥檚 time in the ski patrol. It was the last place they gathered for family photos with her grandmother before she died of cancer. Her brother was to get married there in two months.
鈥淭hat stuff you can鈥檛 just build back,鈥� Olsen said.
Smoke from the fire has been pushing to the east and northeast, meaning the air quality at popular vacation spots like Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks — which are located far south of the flames 鈥� hasn鈥檛 been significantly affected beyond some haze sinking into the Bryce area. Still, visitors to Bryce have posted videos on social media showing the giant plume in the distance.
The smoke could further be seen for hundreds of miles, all the way to Colorado.
鈥淭his is unlike anything we鈥檝e seen in recent memory,鈥� state forester Jamie Barnes said in a statement Thursday. 鈥淲e’re seeing fires spread farther and faster under conditions that defy historical expectations. Some of the fires we鈥檝e responded to this year are behaving in ways veteran firefighters simply haven鈥檛 seen before.鈥�
Much of Utah is experiencing severe to extreme , while parts of Arizona and Colorado are experiencing severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
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 鈥渢his year is different.鈥�
The weather service in Salt Lake City, for the first time in the office’s history, issued a 鈥� 鈥� 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.
鈥淧repare now for rapid fire growth,鈥� it said.
A similar 鈥渄angerous situation鈥� warning had been issued for the in Los Angeles, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes as it incinerated hillside neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades and the city of Malibu. A federal judge in the arson case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of sparking the fire. The jury said it couldn’t agree on a verdict.
Extreme fire conditions were expected in Utah on Friday, with wind gusting up to 50 mph (80 kph) and low humidity, across the southwest desert and central and southern mountains, including the area of the Cottonwood Fire.
Rocky Mountain Power issued a public safety power shut-off watch/warning for areas of central, southern and eastern Utah from Friday through the weekend.
Beaver County, affected by the Cottonwood Fire, has a population of about 7,400 people, according to the U.S. Census.
Meanwhile, the Iron Fire, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) southwest of Salt Lake City, blackened 63 square miles (163 square km) by Friday and was 26% contained, authorities said. It forced the evacuation of Eureka, population 1,000, as well as people at a nearby ranch. They were allowed to return Thursday.
While the cause of the Cottonwood Fire was unknown, Cox’s order noted that since the beginning of fire season, more than 75% of Utah鈥檚 wildfires have been human-caused.
gives power to Barnes fireworks displays in Utah’s cities and towns, instead of leaving those decisions up to the communities.
Other western states also face wildfire danger
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 for a large swath of the West 鈥� stretching 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.
In New Mexico, firefighters were battling a blaze that had forced the evacuations of campgrounds and a YMCA camp in the Jemez Mountains.
In Arizona, a wildfire prompted some evacuations last weekend burning about several hundred acres of steep and rugged terrain near Oak Creek Canyon.
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Associated Press reporter Sudhin Thanawala contributed to this story.
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This story has been corrected; the state forester’s first name is spelled Jamie, not Jaime.
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