Earlier this year, wildfires raged across Southern California, spurred by winds and drought conditions. Dozens died and thousands lost their homes as the fires burned.
“We want to make sure that doesn’t happen here,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Tuesday, “but let me assure you that it could happen here if we aren’t careful.”
The governor, alongside other state and federal officials, on Tuesday asked Utahns to prepare for what is likely to be an active wildfire season throughout the state.
Southwestern Utah is mired in extreme drought, while most of the rest of the state is drier than usual for this time of year, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Cox in late April declared a state of emergency due to drought conditions in over half of Utah’s counties, the first such declaration in three years.
Utah, and much of the West, saw above-average snowpack and precipitation in recent years, which helped assuage severe wildfire concerns. But after a dry winter, the state’s leaders are preparing for the worst this summer.
“I worry we’ve gotten a little complacent, not in firefighting, but as the public, when it comes to fire danger,” Cox said.
“The piece of us getting lucky with Mother Nature isn’t going to continue,” he added, “and we need people to really be careful this year.”
Southern Utah is predicted to see above-average fire potential in early June, said Basil Newmerzhycky, a fire weather program manager for the BLM. In July, fire potential will increase for across central Utah, including parts of the Fish Lake, Dixie and Manti-La Sal national forests. He reported that August is likely to be “busy” for the northern half of the state.
While much of the state is predicted to experience “normal” fire potential this summer, Newmerzhycky said, “normal … is tens of thousands of acres burning.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Basil Newmerzhycky, a fire weather program manager for the Bureau of Land Management, talks about the outlook for Utah’s wildfire season during a news conference at This is the Place Heritage State Park on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
Over half of Utah’s wildfires are caused by humans, said Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands Director Jamie Barnes. Common causes include unattended campfires, dragging chains and target shooting.
Barnes reported that last year’s wildfire season was more active than 2023 and 2022, and that four out of the five largest wildfires in the state last year were “preventable.”
The Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and National Park Service will work with state and local entities to put out wildfires, said Chris Delaney, the state fire management officer for the BLM.
“We may wear different shirts, we may drive around in different trucks, but we represent this unified force that is committed to protecting lives and property and landscapes that bind us together,” he said Tuesday.
“The response isn’t about who wears the patch,” Delaney continued, “it’s about who’s the closest and who can get there the fastest.”
State and federal firefighters have worked together in the off-season to make Utah’s land less susceptible to wildfires through prescribed burns, thinning and other types of hazardous fuel treatment, Delaney said.
Cox said that though hiring at the federal level has been “bumpy,” “it looks like we’re going to be staffed up.”
Officials urged Utahns to check restrictions before starting campfires, secure chains on trailers and pick a safe backdrop without rocks or dry vegetation before target shooting. To report a wildfire, call 911.
Readers can learn more and sign up for fire alerts here.
