How this year compares to one of the worst fire seasons on record

SALT LAKE CITY — Firefighters say current wildfire conditions are starting to a look a lot like the 2012 fire season, which is widely considered our worst fire year on record. 

So far this year, wildfires burned nearly 48,000 acres, according to Utah Fire Info. In 2012, wildfires burned nearly ten times that, consuming more than 460,000 acres across Utah. 

“And you had the super dry and windy month of August. And that was just a recipe for disaster,” said Jon Smith, the spokesperson for the North Tooele Fire District. He is also a host on KSL NewsRadio’s sister station, 103.5 The Arrow.

He said this year is shaping up a lot like the 2012 fire season. Utah is seeing more dry lightning and wind. Additionally, the state is dealing with record heat.

Smith said conditions have calmed down a bit in the last week or so, however, we could be looking at wildfire conditions all the way into October. 

“[We’ve] got a lot of dry lightning coming up this weekend in particular. And we have a super hot and dry August, September and even October forecasted for us. So, we see a lot of similarities between those two [years],” Smith said.

According to Smith, Utah still has a lot of its fire season to go. 

“While our fire season officially starts at the end of June, really, we don’t get cooking so to speak, until the latter part of August, early September,” Smith said. 

Related reading: 

• Study says inhaling wildfire smoke can increase risk of dementia
• Utah is seeing more blazes, many are human-caused wildfires
• It’s wildfire season in Utah, is your home ready?

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