Cox asks Utahns to ‘please, please, please’ reduce fire risks ahead of Pioneer Day

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.

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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.”