Wildfire Season

Human-started fires in 2024 have already surpassed Utah's total for all of last year. With months of dangerous conditions remaining and another firework holiday looming, fire officials are on alert.

With lots of new growth and a hot dry summer ahead, Utah fire departments are working to mitigate fire risk, and helping people prepare in case of an emergency evacuation.

The program is a partnership between the Western Colorado Conservation Corps, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service. It prepares young women for wildland firefighting jobs with federal agencies.

The latest outlook from the National Interagency Fire Center predicts above-normal potential for significant fires in southwest and northwest Utah this summer.

Thanks to wet weather and prevention efforts, Utah’s had fewer fires this year than any other year since at least 2002.

“With it being so dry and with the fuels just ready to go, we're pretty much issuing red flag warnings almost every day at this point,” said Mark Miller, a National Weather service meteorologist who forecasts for southeast Utah.

Officials in Salt Lake City are replacing their traditional explosive extravaganza with a drone light show. Flagstaff, Arizona, plans another laser light show like the one that replaced fireworks last year.

Emergency personnel in Southwest Utah are already battling frequent fires as the extra grass and brush that grew during the wet spring are providing more fire fuel as they dry out.

“A lot can change between now and the heart of summer,” said Jon Meyer, the assistant state climatologist at the Utah Climate Center.

“[The drought’s] probably not going to go away in one year, but we are in a better situation than we were this time last year,” said a state coordinator.

With wildfire seasons growing longer and stronger across the Mountain West, companies that do prevention work are staying busy.

Wildfires are increasingly threatening Utah homes and communities. Here are some things to help you prepare.