Wildfires increase ahead of Fourth of July celebrations, officials urge caution

Maricopa County, Arizona, was issued an evacuation order Thursday night due to the growing Boulder View Fire, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management announced in a post on X .

As the nation grapples with extreme heat, wildfires have become increasingly prevalent.

The Boulder View fire has expanded to 3,200 acres with 0% containment by early Friday, according to the U.S. Forest Service’s InciWeb alert system. The evacuation order was for the southeastern edge of the fire. Approximately 60 residents are currently at risk, in a county of 4.5 million people.

The National Interagency Fire Center reports that there are a total of 58 large fires currently active in the U.S., burning a total of 270,135 acres.

California, New Mexico and Oregon have all experienced multiple large wildfires. However, Alaska has suffered the worst with 33 current wildfires, burning 179,602 acres.

Growing number of wildfires in Utah

The National Weather Service issued a warning on June 23 about dangerously hot temperatures across southern Utah. Other areas of west-central Utah are also under a heat advisory.

Utah has experienced over 350 wildfires in 2024, according to Utah Fire Info , with 262 of those fires being human-caused, accounting for about 74%.

This year’s wildfire count is comparable to 2020, when Utah experienced a record-breaking 1,482 wildfires that burned over 328,000 acres, per KSL NewsRadio . By this time in 2020, about 366 wildfires had been reported.

The wildfire risks have prompted a $66 million package from the Department of Agriculture to improve forest health nationwide, according to KSL-TV . Of the package, $3.5 million from the fund was allocated to the U.S. Forest Service’s Intermountain Region, which includes Utah.

“It’s very important,” Ben Newburn, the U.S. Forest Service’s Intermountain Region fire manager, told KSL-TV. “This is another example where we can lean in and effect changes to how those outcomes will happen when we do get a wildfire.”

Despite the aid, officials across the state remain concerned about the unfavorable conditions they have observed.

“We are very concerned this year that we have a lot of potential for a very busy fire season,” Newburn said.

The Little Twist Fire near Beaver has burned over 2,530 acres and is 25% contained, a recent update from KUTV reported.

A firefighter was seriously injured June 23 while working to contain the fire, according to KSL .com. Daniel Burns, part of the Bonneville Hotshot crew, was hit by a falling tree and rushed to a hospital via helicopter.

A GoFundMe page was set up to assist in his recovery.

Caution advised ahead of Fourth of July

With fires so prevalent and July Fourth approaching, it is important to take proper fire safety precautions to avoid increasing the wildfire risk. Even a single spark can ignite dry brush.

A recent fire in Parleys Canyon, caused by fireworks, burned over an acre before being brought under control, according to ABC4 .

“The thing that is unique about this year and fireworks season, specifically right now, it’s been ridiculously hot,” Capt. Tony Barker of Unified Fire Authority told ABC4. “We’ve had a large amount of overgrowth in vegetation that has completely dried out.”

Fireworks can be used from July 2 to 5, between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m., and until midnight on July 4. For Pioneer Day, fireworks can be used from July 22 to 25 during the same hours.