Utah Declares Emergency, Restricts Fireworks as Largest US Wildfire Grows
Utah imposed restrictions on fireworks and declared a state of emergency on Friday (June 26, 2026) ahead of July Fourth celebrations, as the largest wildfire currently burning in the United States continued to expand across dry forest land. Crews are also battling new blazes in the arid state.
The National Weather Service issued a rare 'Particularly Dangerous Situation' warning, citing dry, windy conditions that could fuel more fires across the western US.
The Cottonwood Fire, which started on Monday (June 22, 2026) in a sparsely populated area of southern Utah, had ballooned to more than 290 square kilometres by Friday. Forestry officials said the fire was burning unchecked, with strong winds grounding air support. One of six large wildfires burning in Utah, it severely damaged the Eagle Point ski resort in Beaver County and forced mandatory evacuations.
'We have the 56 kilometres per hour sustained winds that they predicted, and we definitely have the 72 kilometres per hour 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 behaviour out there with some crown runs and definitely some spotting.'
Smoke from the fire has been pushed east and northeast. Air quality at popular tourist destinations like Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks, which are located well south of the flames, has not been significantly affected beyond some haze near Bryce Canyon. However, visitors to Bryce have posted videos on social media showing the large plume in the distance.
Smoke could be seen for hundreds of miles, reaching as far as Colorado. Authorities have put roughly 1,300 residents in the towns of Marysvale, Junction and Circleville on notice to be prepared to evacuate if conditions worsen and the fire spreads further.
Governor Spencer Cox set temporary fireworks restrictions through July 5, as the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, stating that 'this year is different.' The weather service in Salt Lake City, for the first time in its history, issued a 'Particularly Dangerous Situation' warning for five Utah counties, including the area of the Cottonwood Fire. The rare alert was first used to warn of tornado conditions. A red flag warning was also issued for most of the state, urging residents to 'prepare now for rapid fire growth.'
A similar 'dangerous situation' warning was issued for the 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles.
The cause of the Cottonwood Fire is unknown, but Cox's order noted that humans have been responsible for most fires in the state so far this year. The governor's order gives state fire officials the authority to restrict or ban fireworks displays in Utah's cities and towns, rather than leaving those decisions to local communities.
Red flag warnings, indicating conditions such as low humidity, warm temperatures, and strong winds that can create extreme wildfire risk, were in effect on Friday from Idaho to southern Arizona and New Mexico.
Much of Utah is already experiencing severe to extreme drought, while parts of Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico are experiencing severe drought, according to the US Drought Monitor.
Even in Florida, where multiple brush fires have occurred, authorities are urging people to skip personal fireworks and instead leave pyrotechnics to professionals.
In Utah, federal land managers have closed public lands near the Cottonwood Fire as a precaution. In New Mexico, forest officials closed campgrounds and trails near a wildfire burning in the Jemez Mountains.
Nationally, nearly 3 million acres have burned since the start of the year, pushing the US ahead of the 10-year average. The National Interagency Fire Center reported that firefighters are making progress on containing fires from Alaska to Florida.
