The Beulah Fire is pictured burning in the Uinta Mountains in northeast Utah. (Credit: U.S. Forest Service)
It’s shaping up to be a record-breaking fire year in Utah.
Officials say the state has likely spent more money, and seen more human-caused wildfires, than any year prior. And with weeks to go until fire season ends, those numbers could continue to climb.
“It’s been a very busy year here in Utah,” said Jamie Barnes, director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. “But we do have a lot of the season left.”
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Barnes spoke during a presentation to lawmakers last week, where she pointed to several statistics that make this fire year stand out. Consider this:
Human-caused fires burned at least 101,595 acres this year, which Barnes says is likely an all-time high.
The estimated cost to Utah to fight these fires is about $29 million, likely another all-time high according to Barnes.
The first ignition reported in Utah this year occurred on Jan. 5, with the East Hartford Fire in Duchesne County. Since then, Utah crews have responded to 1,093 reported fires (that number includes false alarms).
Since May 14, Utah has seen at least one fire start each day.
There’s been a total of 874 fires this year — at least 583 were human caused. That means nearly 70% of the fires in Utah have been human-caused, which is abnormally high. Typically, that figure is between 50% and 60%.
About 93% of Utah fires this year were caught at 10 acres or less, which officials say has kept potential damage at bay.
Fires burned at least 163,261 acres in Utah this year — about 4% was on state-owned land, with most of it on federal land.
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According to data from the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, since 2021 human-caused fires have been mostly the result of motor vehicle malfunctions or open burning. Here’s a breakdown:
Motor vehicles were responsible for 29% of human-caused wildfires
Open burning: 22%
Camping: 12%
Heavy equipment: 8.5%
Utilities: 7.6%
Fireworks: 5.8%
Firearms: 5.5%
Arson: 5.3%
Since last Wednesday, when Barnes gave her presentation, a number of new fires have been sparked. That includes the human-caused Maple Fire, near Mapleton, that grew to about 50 acres over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Widemouth Fire, north of the intersection of interstates 15 and 70 near Cove Fort, has burned about 500 acres and is 8% contained, since being discovered Saturday.
In the last 24 hours, Utah Fire Info has reported at least 19 new fires across Utah.
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