Rare red flag warning issued as Utah wildfire danger spikes

A rare red flag warning hit parts of Utah as the Cottonwood Fire swelled into the largest wildfire burning in the United States, forcing evacuations, shutting roads and grounding aircraft. The National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning on June 27, the first time that office had ever used that designation, as hot temperatures, low humidity, strong winds and dry fuels aligned over the state.

The warning remained in effect through Sunday, June 29, for multiple Utah fire zones, and critical fire weather would persist through the weekend. In Colorado, the National Weather Service office in Grand Junction expected prolonged critical fire weather in the high country on Monday, June 29, and Tuesday, with the risk potentially extending through Friday. Across the Great Basin and Four Corners regions, an extremely critical fire danger could drive rapid fire growth.

The Cottonwood Fire in southern Utah had burned more than 71,000 acres and remained 0% contained over the weekend. Evacuations were ordered in small communities southwest of Salt Lake City, including Eureka and the Vernon Reservoir area, and highway closures added to the disruption as the blaze spread through parched terrain. Air tankers and helicopters were grounded when winds picked up, narrowing crews’ options just as the fire weather worsened.

Utah state officials also moved to limit the next round of ignition risk, imposing fireworks restrictions ahead of the July Fourth holiday. Dry thunderstorms and lightning could add new starts on top of the already unstable mix of wind, heat and low relative humidity. In Beaver County, a meteorologist told a community meeting Friday evening that Utah was facing 48 hours of critical weather not seen in five years.