SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Spencer Cox is urging Utahns to “please, please, please be vigilant” while recreating on public lands in the state, as drought conditions worsen amid an already busy wildfire season.
“Unfortunately, we’re seeing exactly the extreme fire behavior we hoped we would not but warned was very likely," he said, during his monthly briefing with Utah reporters on Thursday.
However, he doesn’t expect to issue any more emergency orders tied to the state’s fire or drought situations at the moment.
This year is well on pace to be the state’s busiest fire season in five years, after over 300,000 acres burned in 2020. So far, 574 different fires have already been reported, which have collectively burned more than 83,000 acres of land as of Thursday morning.
The number of acres burned is likely to surpass all of last year’s total in the coming days, as several active fires are currently burning in the state. In 2024, 1,244 fires burned 90,660 acres, indicating that this year’s fires have been larger and more destructive.
The Forsyth and Deer Creek fires in Washington and San Juan counties, respectively, have also damaged or destroyed at least 31 structures combined, including about two dozen primary or secondary homes. A few other fires led to brief or prolonged evacuations.
“We are heartbroken for those who have lost homes and livelihoods, and we’re profoundly grateful that no lives have been lost,” Cox added, noting his appreciation for the work of firefighters and first responders.
Why has this season been so busy?
The uptick in larger fires likely correlates with the state’s drier conditions this summer. All parts of the state remain in drought, and it’s quickly growing in intensity. Nearly 60% of the state is now in severe drought or worse, including a sliver of extreme drought that has returned in western Box Elder County, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report.
What doesn’t help is that it follows two to three years of productive snowpacks and water years across the state, resulting in much more vegetation growth that is drying out. And with fewer acres burned in recent years, there’s more of that prone vegetation left to burn.
All of this is why experts were cautious about this summer.
“(We’re) definitely looking at a really good potential for a much busier fire season than we’ve had the last two or three years,” said Basil Newmerzhycky, a meteorologist for Great Basin Predictive Services, back in May.
Cox issued a pair of emergency orders ahead of the season, too. One activated a wildfire emergency plan, and the other opened drought resources in the areas with the driest conditions after the winter.
What hasn’t helped since then is that the monsoon season has been hit or miss for Utah so far. Some parts of southern Utah experienced above-normal precipitation in June, but not nearly enough to offset the dry winter. Most of the moisture ended up south or east of Utah last month, benefiting neighboring states.
While storms are back in the forecast for the next few days, state firefighters warn that showers could be “spotty” throughout the rest of the month. Past storms produced lightning that caused some of the state’s most significant fires thus far, and new lightning-caused starts are also a concern until drought conditions improve.
“The tinder-dry landscape means every spark has a greater chance of becoming a large and fast-moving wildfire,” Cox said.
Stopping new starts and other tips
At 72%, most of this year’s fires have been human-caused, including the Monroe Canyon Fire actively burning in Sevier County. That number stands out because high fire danger will almost certainly remain in place next week during Pioneer Day celebrations, including when fireworks are legal to be launched again.
The governor isn’t alone about his concerns heading into the holiday. Sen. John Curtis took to social media on Thursday to urge Utahns to “take seriously the fire restrictions currently in place.”
“Let’s stay alert, act responsibly and support those on the front lines,” he wrote.
Utah Fire Sense tips
- Check fire restrictions ahead of starting a campfire or doing any other activity that could spark a fire. It's also important to check for red flag warnings.
- Keep all fires to a manageable size. Never leave a fire unattended, and always have enough water available when extinguishing a campfire. Do not burn on windy days, and make sure you have tools to suppress a fire or communication ready before burning something.
- Use the "drown, stir and feel" method when putting out a campfire.
- Make sure there aren't any chains dragging on your vehicle and that your brakes and other vehicle parts are properly maintained.
- Never park on or drive over dry vegetation.
- Only target shoot in areas where it is allowed. Use an appropriate backdrop away from rocks or vegetation. Bring a shovel and water or a fire extinguisher with you when shooting outdoors.
- Exploding targets are not allowed on any public lands. Fireworks are also prohibited on all public lands, and are only permitted in some areas at times in July to celebrate the Fourth of July and Pioneer Day.
- More tips can be found at utahfiresense.org.
Cox commended the current and previous presidential administrations for taking steps to improve forest management on federal lands, which he said will help lessen fire impacts. He also urged homeowners to create defensible spaces around their structures to reduce the probability that their homes burn in a wildfire.
Yet, fire danger wasn’t the only drought-related topic on the governor’s mind on Thursday.
Water consumption is on the rise, which he said is chipping away at the state’s reservoir system gains over the last few years. Utah’s reservoirs are now 75% full, slightly above the median average for this point in the year, but about 15 percentage points below this time last year, according to the Utah Division of Water Resources.
It’s OK for people to have yellow lawns this summer, Cox added. It comes a few weeks after he called on Utahns of all faiths to pray for rain amid the state’s dry conditions.
“While we need faith and prayers, we also need people to cut back on their (water) usage,” he said. “We’re matching faith with action.”