State and federal officials are raising red flags that the 2024 wildfire season may be especially dangerous as conditions are expected to mirror the ferocity of destructive years in the past.
Gov. Spencer Cox on Monday addressed growing concerns about increased fuel growth statewide and hotter-than-normal temperatures that could heighten the risk of wildfires this summer. He emphasized the importance of the Fire Sense campaign, which the governor started in 2020 after a devastating year.
“The good news is we’ve had some light years. In fact, last year we had the most water, the most snow, at least in recorded history in our state, and this year we had above-average water as well with significant snow. There’s still some snow up in those mountains that’s melting very quickly,” Cox said during a press conference in Salt Lake City. “The bad news is with all that water and that snow, we have lots of new growth. The fuel growth is much higher than it was two years ago, which means that it’s perfect for wildfires to start and to thrive.”
Utah’s wildfire season typically runs from July 1 to Oct. 1. But there have already been 189 wildfires this year, and 156 were human-caused.
Officials pointed to above-average temperatures this month causing fuel sources, of which there is now an abundance, to dry out. Cox said this creates “that perfect recipe” for wildfire season.
Basil Newmerzhycky, a meteorologist with the Great Basin Coordination Center, agreed. He noted there were similar concerns about the wildfire season last year because of the historic snowfall. However, conditions stayed wet throughout the spring and first part of June with the summer monsoons arriving in July — making it harder for brush and grass to ignite.
“This year parallels some big fire seasons we’ve had in the past. Some here might remember the 2012 fire season,” Newmerzhycky said. The state spent more than $50 million to fight over 1,000 wildfires that year. “We had several wet years in a row, and then it was that first warm spring into the summer with dryness where we had all that fuel clearing out quicker.”
He said there was refined fuel growth since last year with even more this season. But the heat and dryness are here sooner than last, and there’s a strong probability those conditions will continue. Monsoons aren’t expected to be significant this summer, and the lack of rain may cause the fire season to draw out longer, according to Newmerzhycky.
“That’s a really big concern,” he said.
Authorities have already seen several blazes in the past week that are not just one-to-10 acres in size, typical for this time of year, but increasing to 50 and 100 acres in southern Utah. There’s about a two-week timespan before a 100-acre wildfire can increase in size to 1,000 acres if conditions remain dry.
Climate predictions forecast June will have above-normal temperatures in southwest Utah, northern Nevada, much of Idaho and western Wyoming. The Rockville Fire near Zion National Park sparked on Friday afternoon and burned an estimated 73 acres over the weekend.
Warmth and dryness will continue into July with much of northwest Utah affected by the heat. That’s when fire conditions will really pick up, particularly later in the month. The trend is expected to continue into August. Newmerzhycky said there will be a lot more days with baking, blue skies and dry heat.
“That really punches our ticket. Those are conditions we had similar back to some of our big fire years,” he warned.
Utah is one of the states most prone to wildfires with between 800 to 1,000 blazes each year, according to the Department of Public Safety’s Wildfire Hazard Mitigation Plan.
The Fire Sense initiative has made a significant difference in raising awareness and has reduced wildfires by 52% since its first year. There were 1,176 human-caused wildfires in Utah in 2020. It decreased to 570 in 2021 followed by 466 in 2022 and 288 in 2023, according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources.
Salt Lake City Fire Department Assistant Chief Chris Milne advised residents to create a defensible space around their homes and manage vegetation to remove dead or overgrown plants.
Other Fire Sense tips include parking all vehicles away from dry vegetation, making sure a campfire is completely out before walking away, having a plan for if a fire becomes wild and securing trailer chains before traveling.
Residents are also encouraged to sign up for the Summit County emergency alert system to stay updated on information regarding fire danger or restrictions. Text SCFIREINFO to 888777 for text alerts on fire conditions, prescribed burns and active fire.