By Katie McKellar | Senior Reporter
It’s not even July yet, and Utah’s wildfire season is already getting extreme.
Due to dry conditions and high winds continuing to whip up the huge Cottonwood Fire in Southern Utah, the National Weather Service issued a rare “particularly dangerous situation” wildfire warning for the region.
In this weekend’s Dispatch, we report on the significance of the NWS warning and bring you the top stories of the week, including Gov. Spencer Cox’s July 4 fireworks ban and our coverage of the biggest upsets in the state’s primary elections.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this information you need to know, that this is a serious condition coming.” — Meteorologist Jason Stroud speaking at a community meeting in Beaver for those impacted by the fire in southwest Utah’s Tushar Mountains.
By Annie Knox
At more than 71,000 acres and zero containment, the Cottonwood Fire is the biggest of 36 large fires actively burning in the United States, the National Interagency Fire Center reported.
A “particularly dangerous situation” status is only used when the NWS observes extremely rare, hazardous conditions. The weather service warned that the wildfire in southwest Utah’s Tushar Mountains would grow rapidly with gusts expected to reach 45 mph and tinder-dry conditions.
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