Utah governor declares month-long state of emergency due to intensifying wildfires
During a press briefing regarding updates on the fire on Friday, Gov. Cox gave an urgent message to Utahns to be careful. "I haven’t begged in a long time. I’m begging people right now to please exercise extreme caution."
Watch: Plane drops fire retardant on Utah's Monroe Canyon Fire
The Monroe Canyon Fire began on July 13 near Monroe, Utah. The fire has rapidly spread. Video from July 28 shows an air tanker dropping fire retardant ahead of the fire in Bear Valley.
MONROE, Utah — Utah is under a 30-day state of emergency as crews continue battling the Monroe Canyon wildfire and the other large fires that have burned so far in 2025.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed the State of Emergency declaration on Thursday, due to the escalating wildfires across the state.
The Monroe Canyon Fire, which began July 13 near Monroe, Utah, has so far burned more than 57,000 acres and is only 4% contained, according to InciWeb.
GRAND CANYON'S DRAGON BRAVO FIRE REACHES 'MEGAFIRE' STATUS, SURPASSING 100,000 ACRES
Firefighters fight the Monroe Canyon Fire.
(U.S. Forest Service- Fishlake National Forest/Facebook)
It's the largest active wildfire in Utah as of Saturday.
While the cause of the Monroe Canyon Fire remains undetermined, Gov. Cox said 72% of this year's Utah wildfires are human-caused.
Fire whirl burns along Deer Creek Fire in Utah
The Deer Creek Fire was burning near La Sal, and if a mountain of flames and smoke weren't enough to deal with, on Monday afternoon, the whole thing started spinning.
During a press briefing regarding updates on the fire on Friday, Gov. Cox gave an urgent message to Utahns to be careful.
"I haven’t begged in a long time. I’m begging people right now to please exercise extreme caution," Gov. Cox said. "One spark and we could have another fire just like this—and that means shrinking resources. We’re able to throw everything at this one because we don’t have other major fires in the state right now, but the only way to prevent that from happening is for people to make really, really smart decisions and avoid the dumb ones."
WATCH: COUPLE VEERS OFF IDAHO INTERSTATE AS FLAMES FROM WILDFIRE BLOW ACROSS ROADWAY
Firefighter with a "drip torch" sets a line of fire along Hwy24 during overnite operations the Monroe Canyon Fire.
(U.S. Forest Service- Fishlake National Forest/Facebook / FOX Weather)
Gov. Cox's state of emergency allows for all state resources to be used to help protect lives, homes, livestock and drinking water supplies that have been threatened by this year's fire season.
So far in 2025, Utah has reported 693 wildfires, according to a news release from Gov. Cox. Of those fires, more than 114,000 acres have been burned.
The four largest fires so far in 2025 account for more than 100,000 acres of the 114,000, the release said. The Deer Creek Fire near La Sal even spawned an EF-2-level fire tornado.
UTAH ‘FIRENADO’ WITH 122-MPH WINDS LEAVES BEHIND SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE
Fire crews work to battle hotspots from the Monroe Canyon Fire in Utah.
(U.S. Forest Service- Fishlake National Forest/Facebook / FOX Weather)
The Monroe Canyon Fire has proven challenging to beat, as wind and low humidity have driven the fire to spread and critically dry brush and trees fuel the flames.
On Friday afternoon, evacuation orders put in place for Monroe Canyon were lifted, according to Sevier County Emergency Management.
A helicopter brings water to drop on the Monroe Canyon fire.
(U.S. Forest Service- Fishlake National Forest/Facebook / FOX Weather)
The Fishlake National Forest remains closed as firefighters battle the blaze.
Extreme fire conditions remain on Saturday with low relative humidity around 5%, wind gusts between 27-35 mph and a Red Flag Warning is in place until Saturday evening.