Cottonwood Fire destroys Eagle Point; Utah braces

The Cottonwood Fire has destroyed structures at Eagle Point Resort in Utah’s Tushar Mountains, burning to 59,613 acres by Wednesday morning with 0% containment at that time. Evacuations and road closures remain in place as officials prepare for the next phase

Beaver — On Wednesday morning, the Cottonwood Fire had already chewed through the early map of what might be saved. By Wednesday morning, it reached 59,613 acres, and it remained 0% contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The fire is what the Eagle Point Resort in the Tushar Mountains had been fearing and preparing for. even if no one expected the speed. Footage from a neighbor of the resort showed structures destroyed at Eagle Point Resort after a day of swift growth. The blaze ignited Monday evening, and by Wednesday morning it had consumed thousands of acres.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is set to give a statement on the situation at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2oW_90UsFA.

Eagle Point Resort is a ski resort in the Tushar Mountains that, according to its website, was established in the 1970s.

Owner Shane Gadbaw said in a statement, “We are thankful that to our knowledge, there have been no human casualties from the fire.” He added, “There has been significant property loss for local owners and the resort.”

Gadbaw said the resort would be “closed for a considerable time to recover from the catastrophe.” The resort said it would release an update once conditions become safer and it has assessed the extent of damage.

In a separate statement. Eagle Point Resort said. “We are incredibly grateful for the firefighters and first responders who are working tirelessly to protect our community.” It added: “Right now. we are focused on supporting emergency response efforts. We are in close communication with fire authorities and local agencies.”.

For the region, the fire isn’t only about acreage—it’s about what has to be rebuilt, and how long that rebuild takes. Nathan Rafferty, president of Ski Utah, said he was “heartbroken by the situation facing Eagle Point Resort.”

Rafferty said Eagle Point is “an independent mountain and genuine community pillar” and a source of “recreation. livelihoods and local identity for the region it calls home.” He said: “The impact of this fire will be felt across Beaver County and throughout the Utah ski industry. ” and thanked “the firefighters. first responders and volunteers who have worked under extraordinarily difficult conditions to protect lives and structures in the area.”.

Evacuations and closures were still active.

Mandatory evacuations remained in place for Eagle Point, Merchant Valley, HiLo Estates, Arrowhead Summer Homes and surrounding areas.

Early Wednesday, the Piute County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post that Junction and Circleville were in ready status and residents should prepare to leave the area if necessary. State Route 153 was also closed in both directions.

Marysvale was also notified to be ready to evacuate on Wednesday, the Piute County Sheriff’s Office announced around 1:35 p.m. The sheriff’s office also said Rocky Mountain Power deenergized power lines in Piute County due to the fire.

The sheriff’s office said, “At this time, we don’t have a time frame of how long the power will be off.” It added: “Please be prepared for a prolonged outage.”

The fire’s growth is happening across a state already straining under surging conditions.

The Cottonwood Fire is described as a major contributor to Utah’s rising fire activity, which surged in late June and expanded at least eight times that of last week’s acreage lost. More than 105,000 acres have burned across Utah this year, per data released by state and federal firefighters.

That total was before the Cottonwood Fire nearly doubled in size. The number jumped past the 100,000-acre mark on Tuesday, compared to 13,300 acres burned by June 17.

Utah’s total is already the second-largest acreage burned since 2021, following last year’s nearly 165,000 acres.

Kayli Guild. fire prevention and communications coordinator for the Utah Division of Forestry. Fire and State Lands. said at least three-quarters of all of this year’s fires have been human-caused. including at least two of the state’s three biggest fires so far this year. Guild said. “These numbers highlight the important reality: Many wildfires can be prevented. ” and added that dry vegetation and strong winds this week have fueled much of the new fire growth.

What makes this week especially fraught is what’s coming next.

The forecast may complicate firefighting efforts. KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson said a high-pressure system near the Texas Panhandle and a low-pressure system off the California coast are helping push scattered storms into Utah on Wednesday and Thursday. He described the quasi-monsoonal system as something that could bring beneficial rain. but also gusty winds and lightning that can spark new fires or help spread existing ones.

Johnson said, “The hope is we get more rain than we do wind and lightning, but there’s a pretty good risk right now … that we see some microburst winds along with some dry lightning across northern and central Utah.”

National Weather Service models don’t project much precipitation accumulation with the system. but Johnson said there is strong high-end potential near half an inch. He explained that dry air underneath the cloud base can evaporate any rain before it touches the ground. especially in the early monsoon season. He said that this can increase the risk of microbursts and dry lightning.

Johnson said he hopes the rain can break through the barrier, especially near active fires. If it doesn’t, he said it could create more challenges.

Fire conditions may worsen on Friday and Saturday.

Johnson said a deep low-pressure system will move in from the Pacific Northwest to close out the week. bringing strong and dry winds across most of Utah as it approaches. Southern Utah is projected to experience a 36-hour window of critical-to-extreme fire weather due to strong winds and low relative humidity.

The National Weather Service also issued a red flag warning for most of Utah, in effect from Friday through early Sunday, due to a cold front expected to bring strong winds of 20-30 mph, with gusts up to 40-50 mph.

The agency warned: “Critical fire weather conditions are expected. Any new fire starts or existing fires may spread rapidly.”

Johnson said northernly wind could help clear out the smoke along the Wasatch Front for at least a few days. He said the system may create more thunderstorms. but high temperatures could also drop from the mid-90s on Friday to the low 70s on Sunday. Areas closer to St. George are also forecast to experience a 10-degree drop in temperature.

A map provided by the U.S. Forest Service showed the Cottonwood Fire perimeter and closures surrounding it, as of Tuesday evening. [Photo: U.S. Forest Service]

Contributing reporting included Devan Masciulli and Mary Culbertson. The story will be updated, and readers can click Follow This Story below on the KSL app for notifications about updates.

Cottonwood Fire Eagle Point Resort Beaver County Utah wildfire evacuations Spencer Cox red flag warning microburst winds dry lightning