Around 2,000 homes are at risk in Utah as some 2,100 firefighters battle almost two-dozen wildfires across Utah, Nevada, and Idaho, according to federal fire data. The fires, which come amid a drought across the Mountain West region, are emitting smoke into neighboring states – Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico - and as far away as Kansas.
On Tuesday, roughly one-third of all active fire personnel in the entire country were working in the Great Basin region, which includes almost all of Utah, most of Nevada and parts of Arizona and Idaho. Another 1,800 firefighters were deployed in Arizona and New Mexico.
Utah
There were 14 fires identified by the National Interagency Fire Center in Utah on Tuesday, some of which were first reported over a week prior.
"Utah is facing multiple wildfires across the state today, and we are using every available resource to support response efforts," Utah Gov. Spencer Cox wrote on social media. "Conditions remain dry and dangerous. Please use extreme caution, follow evacuation notices, and do your part to prevent new fires. We are monitoring the situation closely."
While not the largest, the Cottonwood Fire near Beaver, Utah, is prompting a serious emergency response. It was estimated at 10,000 acres with 0% containment Tuesday morning and threatens around 160 structures, according to the NIFC.
Dry conditions, extreme heat and particularly strong winds are fueling the fire's explosive growth and spread.
The Beaver County Sheriff's Office urged residents to stay clear of roads leading to the Cottonwood Fire and the town's B Mountain.
"Please give our first responders the room they need to work," the office wrote on Facebook. "Avoid parking on road shoulders to watch the fire, and urge your neighbors to do the same."
The largest in the Great Basin region is the Iron Fire, in Juab, Utah and Tooele counties, Utah, about 70 miles south of Salt Lake City, at around 30,000 acres. The fire threatens over 1,500 structures as of Tuesday morning, and evacuations in Eureka, a town of about 700 people.
The fire was reported as being 3% contained and a preliminary investigation shows that it was human-caused.
"More than 75% of Utah's wildfires are human-caused, which means prevention starts with all of us," Cox wrote.
The Bonneville Fire was even closer to Salt Lake City, with the perimeter running right up against the University of Utah and the Arlington Hills neighborhood. Tuesday morning, the fire was mapped at 566 acres and is about 43% contained, according to Utah Fire Info.
Nevada
Southeastern Nevada also saw two large wildfires, both sparked by natural causes; the Kane Springs Fire, about 16,000 acres and 25% contained, and the Grapevine Fire, which is also just over 16,000 acres, but 0% contained.
Both fires are in Lincoln County, about 100 to 150 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
The federal Bureau of Land Management's Nevada office said hot and dry conditions are expected to persist through the week, with afternoon winds potentially helping the fires spread.
The Kane Springs fire had 295 firefighters responding and the Grapevine Fire had about 380, with multiple aircraft assisting with both.
No structures were threatened by either fire.
The Great Basin region was at a Preparedness Level of 3 on Tuesday, as is the country as a whole. The Preparedness Level scale goes from 1 to 5 and measures how active the season is, and how many resources are available to respond.
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz told NPR on Monday that the agency is well staffed and prepared for wildfires this summer, despite concerning weather conditions.
"I think the conditions we have are alarming, but what I would like to make sure that your listeners understand is that the Forest Service will be prepared for this season," he said. "We're ahead of where we have been in the last couple of years in terms of our hiring process."
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