Utah Governor Spencer Cox restricted setting off fireworks and declared a state of emergency ahead of the July fireworks season as the nation’s largest wildfire grew much bigger. The National Weather Service issued a rare extreme weather warning as dry, windy conditions provided fuel for many more fires across the western United States.
Wildfire Situation
The Cottonwood Fire in southern Utah, which started Monday, reached nearly 111 square miles and was entirely uncontained, forestry officials said. One of six large wildfires burning across Utah, it severely damaged the Eagle Point ski resort in Beaver County, forcing mandatory evacuations.
Towering clouds of smoke could be seen for hundreds of miles, all the way to Colorado. Much of Utah is experiencing severe to extreme drought, while parts of Arizona and Colorado are experiencing severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issued a ‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ warning for five Utah counties, including the area of the Cottonwood Fire. The rare alert is usually reserved for tornado conditions. A red flag warning was issued for most of the state.
Prepare now for rapid fire growth, the warning said. Extreme fire conditions were expected, with wind gusting up to 50 mph and low humidity, across Utah’s southwest desert and central and southern mountains, including the area of the Cottonwood Fire.
Original reporting: WTVQ (Lexington) — read the source article.
