BEAVER, Utah (KUTV) — The nation’s largest wildfire jumped again in size, surpassing 92,000 acres in Fishlake National Forest in Southern Utah.
The Cottonwood Fire was mapped at 92,254 acres with 0% containment on Saturday morning, according to officials with the Great Basin Incident Management Team 5.
Firefighters struggled to combat the blaze on Friday due to high winds, noting that the fire grew the most in the North Fork drainage. They said the winds were 35 mph.
“Weather conditions are slightly better for fire behavior today, but extreme fire behavior may occur in the afternoon as temperatures and wind speeds increase,” officials said.
Map of the Cottonwood Fire as of Saturday, June 27. The wildfire has become the nation’s largest fire, burning nearly 100,000 acres in Beaver and Piute Counties. (Photo: Great Basin Incident Management Team 5)
The human-caused wildfire ignited on Monday, June 22, and quickly became the largest wildfire in the nation, burning in both Beaver and Piute Counties. The fire has been extremely destructive, burning through Eagle Point Resort and multiple other properties. The total number of properties destroyed is not yet available.
The wildfire has forced the closure of parts of Fishlake National Forest and State Highway 153. As of this time, Marysvale, Junction and Circleville are under “READY” status. This means residents should prepare for a possible evacuation and monitor alerts.
Residents who face a potential evacuation can move any livestock to a free boarding area in Kane County by calling the non-emergency dispatch at 435-644-2668.
There will be a community meeting on the fire at Beaver High School at 7 p.m.
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