As Utah and the West remain in the grip of summer with unrelenting heat and little measurable moisture, wildfires continue to rage and numerous Western states are scrambling to keep up.
While there are homes and lives to be saved, the additional effects on once pristine landscapes, and the very real consequences of burn scars and resulting flooding can be secondary concerns.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued an executive order to put in place emergency provisions, calling on all resources to help in the fight to quell the blazes.
As of Tuesday, 721 wildfires had burned through 141,000 acres in the Beehive State.
Stage 2 fire restrictions were enacted for the entire state beginning Friday, including prohibitions on open campfires, tracer rounds, fireworks and smoking except in an enclosed building, trailer or vehicle, or at a recreation site. Nationally, the preparedness level has been raised to Stage 4, with wildfire activity increasing across the country.
The Monroe Canyon fire
Cox toured the fire that has charred 63,353 acres as of Tuesday and is only 13% contained.
Temperatures were in the high 60s overnight Monday into Tuesday, presenting challenges for the more than 1,300 personnel battling this blaze. Temperatures were expected in the high 80s, with winds gusting up to 37 mph or higher — disastrous in the fight to keep the fire under control.
The fight is complicated by steep and twisty gulches. The fire burning near Richfield in the south-central portion of the state is the largest in the state, and is presenting stubborn challenges. The fire started July 13 due to an undetermined cause and has destroyed several homes.
It is so large it can be seen from the International Space Station.
Cox said the cost of fighting fires in Utah so far this year has easily eclipsed more than $1 million and more expenses are anticipated as the fire season is far from over and crews will have to spend considerable time, effort and money to mop up the aftermath.
Officials are already seeing the impacts to forested lands in Utah and other states when it comes to wildlife habitat. Eventually, erosion will become a growing nightmare.
They fear it is only going to get worse, with the impacts surpassing what was witnessed last season and it is only August.
“I always tell everyone no one can do wildfires by themselves,” said Jamie Barnes, director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, adding that cooperation is key among the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the division, which she oversees.
That cooperation is key if the fight is to be won.
The France Canyon fire has charred more than 34,000 acres southeast of Hatch, Garfield County, but is 100% contained.
The Grand Canyon (Dragon Bravo) fire
The Dragon Bravo Fire is now the largest burning wildfire in the United States, closing the north rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, charring more than 126,000 acres and destroying 70 structures. It tore through the historic Grand Canyon Lodge and North Rim Visitor Center.
As of Monday, it was only a little more than 10% contained.
“Unfortunately, we’ve seen human-caused wildfires this year, and unfortunately we have seen big human-caused wildfires,” Barnes said.
The Grand Canyon fire, while not in Utah, is going to cause severe economic effects to surrounding areas such as Kane County because of its draw as a tourist attraction.
A tiny fire near Tibble Fork Reservoir in Utah County forced an evacuation and shut down a campground. While burning in a heavily forested area, it was quickly contained but not before it shut down access to American Fork Canyon.
California is burning, too
In the Golden State, there have been more than 350,000 emergency responses, 4,759 wildfires, some 218,000 acres burned, 31 fatalities and 16,333 structures destroyed.
The Gifford Fire has scorched in excess of 70,000 acres and remained out of control Tuesday morning.
One motorist was injured after being overcome with flames and at least several other people reported injuries. More than 800 structures north of Los Angeles are threatened and evacuations remain in effect.
The fire forced the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant to reduce power on one of its units to 46% due to its proximity to transmission lines in San Luis Obispo County, PG&E spokesperson Carina Corral told The San Luis Obispo Tribune in an email.
Operators elected to reduce power to support grid reliability and reduce potential risks to the transmission system, Corral said. The other unit is operating at full power and there is no impact to plant safety, she added.
Ten San Luis Obispo County zones were under evacuation orders while 12 were under evacuation warnings.
Across the West
One need only look at a map of the United States to see the tragedy unfolding — for people, homes, wildlife, water supplies and more. Fires are burning in New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and even Alaska.
Due to the severity of this wildfire season in Utah, it may be that additional funding is required to counter the effects of what have played out this summer.
Some of that money may be necessary to tackle wildfire rehabilitation efforts, especially as it relates to treatment of burn scars and to help mitigate debris flows.
As bad as this year seems, the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands said 2020 was worse.
That year, 328,250 acres were burned.
As of Sept. 7 that year, there were 1,275 wildfires with one ignition every day since April 18. The Canal Fire burned through 78,000 acres and overall, at that time, 225,010 acres burned, according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources.
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