Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Utah's 2019 Wildfire Season: The Latest On Fires Across The State

Updated 2:45 p.m. MDT 10/07/19:

Utah’s 2019 fire season has been a mild one, according to the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.

The total number of fires and acres burned is less than previous years, said division spokesman Jason Curry. He identified the wet winter and spring as the reasons for the decline; the heavy precipitation created less dry conditions across the state. 

However, Utah saw a higher than average number of human-caused fires this year. Curry attributed this to a lack of caution on the part of the public.

Utah Wildfire Info and Inciweb are currently tracking five active fires across the state: 

  • The Green Canyon Pile Burning is a prescribed burn east of Logan. The fire was started on Sept. 19 and is currently 161 acres. 
  • The Blacksmith Fork Fire is a prescribed burn started east of Hyrum on Sept. 2. Officials plan to burn 2,700 acres.
  • The Swasey Peak Fire was discovered on Sept. 7 on BLM land in Millard County and is estimated to have burned six to eight acres. Fire managers have decided not to suppress the fire due to its remoteness, the steepness of the terrain, and the lack of threat to any resources. 
  • The Skull Flat Fire 2 is a one-acre fire east of Beaver, which was started by lightning on Oct. 2.
  • The lightning-caused Chessman CanyonFire was discovered in the Cedar Breaks National Monument on Sept. 3. It has burned approximately 420 acres and is monitored by fire managers to restrict its spread within predetermined boundaries.
David is a reporter and producer working on Sent Away, an investigative podcast series from KUER, The Salt Lake Tribune and APM Reports.
KUER is listener-supported public radio. Support this work by making a donation today.