Utah's wildfire season explodes with more human-caused fires

Utah's wildfire season has exploded with a spate of summer blazes, many caused by people.

The big picture: Lightning is historically the primary source of Utah's wildfires — though that pattern has shifted toward human causes in recent years.

Driving the news: Six major fires were spreading around the state as of Tuesday, with winds and lightning expected to cause even more.

Threat level: As forecasters feared , hot weather has dried up a lot of new vegetation that grew during Utah's last two winters of heavy snow.

• With thunderstorms in the forecast, fire danger was rated "very high" in northwest and southwest Utah, with "high" danger throughout the central part of the state.

The latest: Gov. Spencer Cox has called on Utahns to pray for rain once again after fires forced evacuations near Cedar City.

• "Resources are stretching thin," he posted Sunday on X .

Between the lines: So far this year, humans have started the vast majority of the state's wildfires, state fire officials posted Tuesday.

• Those fires have burned more acres than all of last year's wildfires combined, KUER reported .

How it works: Fire investigators typically label a fire "human-caused" if natural causes like lightning can be ruled out, but it's sometimes difficult to isolate the specific activity that sparked a given fire.

• Common sources include campfires, fireworks, cigarettes and heat from vehicles.

Reality check: Most of the new fires this year have been sparked by lightning, in summer thunderstorms that often bring more wind than rain .

What's next: The Pioneer Day holiday on July 24 will bring fireworks back into Utah's skies, driving up the fire risk.