Utah News Dispatch
‘No moisture in sight’: Conditions fueling 48,000-acre Monroe Canyon Fire expected to worsen
A firefighter with a drip torch sets a line of fire along state Route 24 during overnight operations at the Monroe Canyon Fire on Thursday, July 31, 2025. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service)
Fire restrictions are now in place across Utah, amid what Gov. Spencer Cox called “terrible conditions” fueling a number of blazes, including the 48,000-acre Monroe Canyon Fire.
Speaking from Richfield on Friday near the fire, Cox said the entire state is a tinder box.
“These terrible conditions that are making it impossible for us to get ahead of this fire exist in every corner of the state right now,” Cox said. “It would be very easy to have more fires like this one, so we need people to be incredibly cautious.”
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Burning east of Interstate 70 near Richfield, the Monroe Canyon Fire is the largest blaze in Utah this year. It’s grown by more than 10,000 acres in recent days, and is just 7% contained. More than 1,000 firefighters are working around the clock, with a focus on protecting structures.
“You’re getting 60-mile-per-hour winds and we’ve had a few near misses with firefighters who had to cut their way out of the trees with a chainsaw. Fortunately, we’ve had no real serious accidents and the firefighters can go home to their families,” said state Rep. Carl Albrecht, a Republican from Richfield, speaking to reporters alongside Cox on Friday.
A number of transmission lines have been burned, causing periodic power outages in the area, and at least seven structures have been destroyed. Residents in Burrville, Monroe Canyon, and parts of Poverty Flat are under evacuation orders.
“This is a big one. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a big one like this. The odds of us putting it out anytime soon are pretty low, just to be honest. We know that the forecast is not great right now. We’ve seen erratic fire behavior all day long, even at night,” Cox said. “We’ve seen a fire make a five-mile run. You can’t stop a fire when it’s making a run like that.”
The temperature and precipitation outlook for the rest of the month, according to the National Weather Service, calls for below average rain and above average temperatures. It’s been exceptionally dry around the state, with humidity as low as 4% in the Monroe Canyon area.
Cox declares state of emergency as intense wildfires burn in Utah
“It’s August and we’re not in good shape right now. And we’re not seeing any moisture in sight,” said Jamie Barnes, director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.
To that end, state officials imposed stage two fire restrictions on Thursday. That means the following is prohibited:
- Fires and campfires, even in developed camping or picnic areas.
- Smoking, except in an enclosed vehicle or building, at a developed recreation site, or on a paved area.
- Fireworks, tracer ammunition, exploding targets or other pyrotechnic devices.
- Cutting, welding or grinding metal near vegetation.
- Operating a motorcycle, chainsaw, ATV or other small internal combustion engine without a working spark arrestor.
These restrictions apply to all state and private, unincorporated land, including state trust land, state parks and wildlife management areas. They also apply to the following federal lands:
- The Color Country, Canyon Country, Green River, Paria River and West Desert districts, managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
- Dixie, Fishlake and Manti-La Sal national forests, managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Violating the restrictions is a class B misdemeanor, punishable by six months in jail and a fine up to $1,000.
There are a number of other fires burning throughout Utah:
- The Forsyth Fire, discovered on June 19, has burned almost 16,000 acres, destroyed more than a dozen homes and is now 99% contained. It’s located near the Pine Valley community, about 15 miles north of St. George.
- The Deer Creek Fire is burning along the Colorado-Utah border near the La Sal Mountains, outside of Moab. It is 17,700 acres and, as of Friday morning, 88% contained.
- Discovered Thursday, the Little Pole Fire in northern Box Elder County near the Idaho border is now 487 acres and 0% contained.
Cox declared a 30-day state of emergency on Thursday related to wildfires. The order allows the government to use all available state resources “to protect lives, homes, livestock and drinking-water supplies threatened by this year’s severe fire season,” according to the governor’s office. It also allows for the deployment of the Utah National Guard if needed.
