Utah declares state of emergency and restricts fireworks as US largest wildfire grows
Utah restricted fireworks and declared a state of emergency Friday ahead of July Fourth celebrations as the United States’ largest wildfire expanded its reach across more tinder-dry forest as crews rush to fight new blazes in the arid state.The National Weather Service issued a rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” warning as dry, windy conditions provided fuel for more fires across the western U.S.The Cottonwood Fire in a sparsely populated area of southern Utah started Monday.It ballooned to more than 112 square miles (290 square kilometers) by Friday, burning unchecked as strong winds grounded air support, forestry officials said.
One of six large wildfires burning in Utah, it severely damaged the Eagle Point ski resort in Beaver County, forcing mandatory evacuations.“We have the 35 miles-per-hour (56 km/h) sustained winds that they predicted, and we definitely have the 45 miles-per-hour (72 km/h) gusts,” said Alyssa Mason, a spokesperson assigned to the fire.“So there has been a great increase in the fire activity.
We are seeing extreme fire behavior out there with some crown runs and definitely some spotting.”The smoke has been pushing to the east and northeast, meaning air quality at popular vacation spots like Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks — located far south of the flames — hasn’t been significantly affected beyond some haze in the Bryce area.Still, visitors to Bryce have posted videos on social media showing the giant plume in the distance.The smoke could be seen for hundreds of miles, all the way to Colorado, as authorities put roughly 1,300 residents in the towns of Marysvale, Junction and Circleville on notice that they should be prepared to leave if conditions worsen and the fire pushes further.State forester Jamie Barnes had said Thursday that it’s like nothing seen in recent memory.
She said fires are spreading farther and faster “under conditions that defy historical expectations.”Bruce Brown, 76, accompanied...