Cottonwood Fire Explodes Past 92,000 Acres as Utah Declares Emergency and Bans Fireworks

The Cottonwood Fire, now the largest wildfire burning in the United States, has torn through more than 92,000 acres of central Utah with zero percent containment, forcing thousands of evacuations and prompting Governor Spencer Cox to declare a statewide emergency and restrict fireworks just days before the Fourth of July.

The blaze ignited the afternoon of June 22 near Beaver in the Fishlake National Forest and exploded in size as record drought, single-digit humidity and wind gusts clocked at 45 mph drove flames across the mountains. By Saturday it had scorched more than 144 square miles — an area larger than the city of Denver — and fire managers warned that "extreme wildfire behavior" would continue through the holiday weekend. "There's no end in sight," Cox said as he surveyed the destruction.

The town of Eureka, population roughly 600, was ordered to evacuate completely, joining residents of Mammoth and Silver City who fled as the fire advanced. The Eagle Point ski resort in Beaver County was badly damaged, highways were shut, and campgrounds across the Fishlake National Forest were closed. Officials said the Cottonwood Fire is poised to become the most destructive and costly wildfire in Utah history.

The fire is one of more than 350 wildfires burning across Utah, which together have consumed in excess of 220 square miles. As of Saturday afternoon the state had at least 10 active large fires spread over more than 172,000 acres, stretching crews and aircraft thin. Gusty winds and bone-dry fuels left air tankers grounded at times, giving firefighters few options for slowing the front.

Cox declared the state of emergency on Friday and imposed statewide fireworks restrictions ahead of the July Fourth season, a period when human-caused ignitions typically spike. "We cannot afford a single spark right now," the governor said. The declaration frees up state resources and National Guard support as the fire threatens additional communities.

The Cottonwood Fire is part of a broader siege across the western United States, where at least 37 fires are burning in a dozen states amid an unusually hot, dry early summer. Forecasters said the combination of extended drought, extreme heat and gusty winds has created some of the most dangerous fire conditions the region has seen in years, with little relief expected before the holiday.