Event: Utah

Utah restricted fireworks and declared a state of emergency on Friday (June 26, 2026) ahead of July Fourth celebrations as the United States’ largest wildfire expanded its reach across more tinder-dry forest as crews rush to fight new blazes in the arid state.The National Weather Service issued a rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” warning as dry, windy conditions provided fuel for more fires across the western U.S.The Cottonwood Fire in a sparsely populated area of southern Utah started Monday (June 22, 2026). It ballooned to more than 290 square kilometres by Friday (June 26, 2026), burning unchecked as strong winds grounded air support, forestry officials said. One of six large wildfires burning in Utah, it severely damaged the Eagle Point ski resort in Beaver County, forcing mandatory evacuations. Firefighters gather near the Cottonwood Fire near Junction, Utah, on June 26, 2026. | Photo Credit: AP “We have the 56 kilometres per hour sustained winds that they predicted, and we definitely have the 72 kilometres per hour gusts,” said Alyssa Mason, a spokesperson assigned to the fire. “So there has been a great increase in the fire activity. We are seeing extreme fire behaviour out there with some crown runs and definitely some spotting.”The smoke has been pushing to the east and northeast, meaning air quality at popular vacation spots like Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks — located far south of the flames — hasn’t been significantly affected beyond some haze in the Bryce area. Still, visitors to Bryce have posted videos on social media showing the giant plume in the distance.The smoke could be seen for hundreds of miles, all the way to Colorado, as authorities put roughly 1,300 residents in the towns of Marysvale, Junction and Circleville on notice that they should be prepared to leave if conditions worsen…