The Cottonwood Fire on June 27, 2026 Photo: Utah Fire
A rare, “particularly dangerous situation” prompted a red flag warning to be issued over the weekend for parts of Utah as the Cottonwood Fire grew to more than 90,000 acres and wildfire conditions worsened in the region. The warning was issued for the first time ever by the National Weather Service Friday, and on Monday the Cottonwood fire sat at zero percent containment while high winds, high temperatures, and low humidity combined for a dangerous combination.
Utah Fire issued multiple evacuation orders and further warnings as the Iron Fire and Cherry Fire combined to cover more than 70,000 acres by Sunday, another 16,000-plus acres burned in the Babylon Fire, and several hundred acres burned in the Horsehead Fire, to name a few.
“Our biggest challenge right now is that we have single digit humidities and the wind gusts are around 45 miles per hour,” said Alyssa Mason, a spokesperson assigned to the fire. “That’s on top of fuel moistures between two and eight percent.”
As a result of the compounding hazards, Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox issued an executive order Thursday prohibiting fireworks through the July 4th weekend holiday.
“Nothing about this decision was easy,” said Gov. Spencer J. Cox. “Utahns love celebrating the Fourth of July with family, friends and fireworks. I do too. But this year is different. We are seeing fire behavior that even our most experienced firefighters say they’ve never witnessed before. This is a temporary measure for an extraordinary year. It protects lives and homes while allowing local leaders, working alongside their fire officials, to identify areas where fireworks can be used safely.”
It was reported when the fire first began that Eagle Point Ski Resort was being threatened by the blaze, but the resort announced over the weekend that it was “still standing”
“Through the uncertainty, through the unimaginable… we’re still standing,” they wrote. “There is still a long road ahead, and our hearts remain with every firefighter, first responder, volunteer, owner, and community member affected by the Cottonwood Fire.”
On Saturday, resort officials said they would return to assess any potential damage on the property once fire officials deemed it safe enough to access the resort. There has been no update on the resort’s status since then.
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