Utah wildfire threatens record damage as evacuations spread near Beaver

The Cottonwood Fire had burned nearly 94,000 acres near Beaver by June 29, leaving Eagle Point Resort heavily damaged and forcing mandatory evacuations in nearby neighborhoods. The blaze started June 22 near Cottonwood Campground off State Route 153 in Fishlake National Forest and quickly became Utah’s largest active wildfire.

By June 24, the fire had already reached about 59,000 acres. It had grown beyond 70,000 acres the next day, passed 92,000 acres by June 28, and remained 0% contained in the latest state update. Mandatory evacuation orders covered Eagle Point Resort, Merchant Valley, HiLo Estates and Arrowhead Summer Homes, affecting homes, seasonal cabins and resort property east of Beaver.

Governor Spencer Cox said the fire may already be the most destructive in Utah history in terms of property loss, even if it is not the largest by acreage. He said the state was facing some of the most dangerous fire behavior in its history as high temperatures, gusty winds, extremely dry fuels and severe drought made suppression harder. Officials said the Cottonwood Fire was human-caused.

Shane Gadbaw, the resort’s owner, said there were no known human casualties, but confirmed significant property loss for both local owners and the resort. He said the mountain property would stay closed for a considerable time while crews assessed the damage.

State fire updates showed nearly 150,000 acres had burned across Utah by late June, with hundreds of fires already recorded. Cox declared a state of emergency on June 25 and temporarily expanded fireworks restrictions statewide ahead of the July 4 period, giving the state forester more authority to limit fireworks inside city and town boundaries when fire danger is extreme.

The National Weather Service issued Utah’s first formal Particularly Dangerous Situation red flag warning. Evacuations were also underway in Eureka.