Wildfires in Utah State, USA (June 2026)

The Cottonwood Forest Fire, which began on 22 June 2026 in Beaver County in the state of Utah, USA, rapidly expanded due to drought high temperatures and strong winds becoming one of the largest forest fires in the state in recent years. The fire has burned approximately 24 thousand hectares, forced the evacuation of numerous settlements and campgrounds disrupted transportation infrastructure and pushed the overall fire risk in the state to one of its highest levels.

The Cottonwood Fire started on 22 June 2026 at approximately 15:36 local time in Beaver County. Initially reported to have ignited on private land the fire quickly spread over a large area due to prolonged drought high air temperatures extremely low humidity and winds approaching 80 kilometers per hour.

According to statements by the US Forest Service the fire reached approximately 24 thousand hectares over 59600 acres within a few days and despite firefighting efforts only 0 percent of the fire was contained. Authorities stated that exceptionally dry vegetation and strong winds played a decisive role in the fire’s rapid growth.

As the fire approached populated areas Utah state authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for numerous settlements and campgrounds including Eagle Point and Merchant Valley in Beaver County.

Evacuation orders remained in effect in the following days with residents urged to leave the area immediately. As the fire spread to other counties several rural communities were fully evacuated and fire crews established defensive lines to protect inhabited areas.

Due to the fire’s rapid expansion one of the major highway routes passing through the region was completely closed. The flames reaching federal lands further complicated firefighting operations; aircraft bulldozers and hundreds of personnel were deployed to the area to combat the blaze.

Authorities warned that heavy smoke reducing visibility and threatening road safety could lead to prolonged transportation restrictions.

Utah fire officials indicated that the Cottonwood Fire may have been human-caused. However they noted that the investigation into the exact origin is ongoing and no detailed information has been released regarding the incident.

The Cottonwood Fire has been recorded as one of the largest among hundreds of ongoing forest fires across Utah. According to Utah Fire Info data there are over 350 active forest fires statewide with hundreds of square kilometers affected by fires.

Authorities stated that the Cottonwood Fire has surpassed other major fires currently burning in Utah in size and has become one of the top priorities for firefighting efforts.

The US National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for much of Utah. This warning indicates that extremely low humidity strong winds and exceptionally dry vegetation have created conditions favorable for rapid fire spread.

Similar fire risk warnings were not limited to Utah; they remained in effect for large parts of Colorado Arizona Nevada and southern California. Meteorological officials warned the public that existing fires could grow further and new fires could easily ignite.

The US Forest Service the Utah Forestry Division and numerous local fire departments continue their efforts to contain the fire with support from ground and aerial resources. However officials noted that adverse weather conditions strong winds and the fire’s spread across rugged terrain have made intervention more difficult.

Authorities warned that unless there is a significant improvement in weather conditions the fire may continue to grow and evacuation orders could be expanded.