State fire officials worried as they review wildfire season outlook

SALT LAKE CITY — State fire experts say Utah is at risk of a devastating wildfire season this summer and are imploring Utahns to be proactive.

“Let’s be smart about what we do and keep Utah safe this summer,” said Utah Governor Spencer Cox.

Several state fire agencies gathered with Governor Cox at This is the Place Heritage Park on Monday to provide an overview of Utah's wildfire season. Their collective message: Utah is poised for a dangerous wildfire season, and while the entire state is at high risk, northwest Utah is particularly concerned.

“Between the grass growth and the first warm temperatures, we as fire managers are concerned about what we might see,” said BLM State Fire Management Officer Chris Delaney. Utah.

Thanks to two years of above-average snowfall and moisture, Utah's fuel load is bigger and thicker this year. And with temperatures already warmer than normal in early June and experts predicting less rain this summer, that fuel supply is quickly drying up.

“This year, unlike the last two years, the monsoon isn't expected to be as bad, it's still around Utah, but maybe instead of raining 35 days it will rain 12 days, anyway “This kind of delay in the monsoon has the potential to extend the fire season in parts of Utah,” said Basil Newmerzhycky, a meteorologist with the Great Basin Coordination Center.

Already this year, Utah has seen 189 wildfires, 156 of which were human-caused. Fire officials said the biggest mistake they see people make — leading to this type of fire — East complacency.

“A simple mistake could have lifelong consequences for firefighters, for residents, for wildlife habitat, we would just ask you to take an extra second before you go onto your public lands,” Delaney said.

be proactive

Fire officials are asking Utahns to be proactive in wildfire prevention and firefighter safety; make sure campfires are completely cool before leaving a campsite, shoot at targets in designated areas and do not use explosive targets, maintain vehicles and tires, and avoid dragging tow chains. They also ask that you check UtahFireInfo.gov before recreating this summer – so you know where fires are burning and what areas are high risk.

“Above all, I ask you to keep these guys (firefighters) safe, we want each and every one of them to be able to reunite with their families, they will do whatever it takes to protect people’s lives and protect others to protect property where they can, but we don’t want to put them in that situation,” Cox said.

At Monday's news conference, several fire officials asked Utahns to look at their homes and cabins and work to create defensible space so that in the event of a wildfire, the structure will be better protected. Defensible space also allows more time to evacuate in the event of a fast-moving fire.

“Really, what we're talking about is that a lot of the fires that happen in homes are caused by embers that rise a mile or more from the main body of the fire, so actually , that defensible space saves you time,” said Salt Lake City Fire Department Deputy Chief Chris Milne.

Milne said property owners looking for a defensible assessment of space on their property can visit slcfire.gov/wildfire. Many local fire agencies are willing to provide the same assessment, if homeowners contact them.