Note to readers • An update to this story can be found here.

Utah forecasters have issued a rare weather alert warning of extreme wildfire conditions across central and southern portions of the state, where the Cottonwood Fire outside of Beaver has already burned more than 71,000 acres.

It’s the first time the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City has issued a formal “particularly dangerous situation” (or “PDS”) red flag warning for Utah, which will remain in effect through at least midnight Friday, according to a post on X.

Wind gusts up to 50 mph combined with a relatively low humidity level “will lead to very rapid fire spread,” the warning indicates.

At a public meeting held Thursday evening in Beaver High School’s auditorium, firefighters warned residents that some of the most difficult days of the Cottonwood Fire fight may still be ahead.

“The Salt Lake City office has never issued a PDS red flag warning ever,” Jason Straub, the incident meteorologist assigned to the Cottonwood Fire, told those in attendance. “This shows how critical of a weather event is coming.”

The “extremely concerning” forecast, Straub said, marks a sharp shift from the cooler, wetter conditions that briefly slowed the Cottonwood Fire on Thursday, when a stalled storm dropped up to a half-inch of rain on portions of the fire.

Cloud cover and light winds also helped moderate fire behavior, according to Great Basin Incident Management Team 5, which is leading firefighting efforts.

But those gains may be short-lived for the blaze that’s already grown to more than twice the size of San Francisco proper and is considered 0% contained. A containment figure marks the percentage of a fire’s perimeter where crews feel confident flames won’t cross.

Wildfire threat prompts power shutoffs

Amid the alarming forecast, Rocky Mountain Power began shutting off electricity early Friday in areas surrounding Beaver, Cedar City and Milford to prevent new wildfires from igniting.

A map of current public safety power shutoffs is available on Rocky Mountain Power’s website. The map also indicates where the utility has set up community resource centers in areas where customers are without power.

The outages could affect as many as 15,000 Utah residents and may remain in place through Sunday, the utility wrote on Facebook.

How long people will be without power depends on weather conditions, the utility wrote. Once conditions improve, crews will inspect power lines, make repairs as needed and restore service.

“Turning power off in areas experiencing hazardous weather, such as extremely hot, dry and windy conditions, may be necessary to ensure the safety of your community,” the utility said in an alert posted on its website. “We take the decision to turn off power seriously.”

As of Friday afternoon, outages were underway in Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Millard and Washington counties. In addition, Rocky Mountain Power has issued public safety power shutoff warnings for seven other counties.

Those warnings indicate conditions are likely to require outages to reduce risks, the utility’s website states.

Cottonwood Fire damage uncertain

The massive Cottonwood Fire has damaged some structures at the Eagle Point ski resort, and officials are still assessing whether hundreds of nearby cabins, trailers and condos were burned. Among the confirmed losses is one Utah family’s beloved cabin escape, which burned Tuesday after serving as a gathering place for generations.

Many Utahns — along with out-of-state vacation-home owners — are still waiting to learn whether their properties survived. Fire officials said Thursday they have been entering burned areas when conditions allow to check on structures, but a comprehensive damage assessment is still underway.

Residents worried about their homes or belongings can share their information with the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office to receive a notification once damage assessments are done. That contact form is labeled as a witness statement; authorities said they do not have a separate form for wildfires and encouraged people affected by the blaze to fill it out.

The American Red Cross of Utah reported Friday at least 12 primary homes have been destroyed. Anyone displaced by the Cottonwood Fire can go to the Utah National Guard’s Beaver Armory, located at 120 S. Main St. in Beaver, where the Red Cross has opened an emergency shelter.

Fire officials planned to hold another public meeting on the Cottonwood Fire starting at 7 p.m. Friday at Piute High School in Junction.

More emergency shelters may open in Panguitch (if Junction or Circleville are evacuated) and Monroe (if Marysvale is evacuated), the Red Cross said, noting the alarming forecast.

On Thursday, Gov. Spencer Cox announced that the state will restrict fireworks statewide over Independence Day weekend through an executive order, citing a particularly destructive start to this year’s wildfire season.

The order grants temporary authority to the state forester to prohibit fireworks from July 2-5, while still allowing cities and towns to designate areas where fireworks may be used in consultation with local fire officials.

“When people who have dedicated their lives to protecting Utah tell us this year is different,” Cox said, standing alongside firefighters, “we desperately need to listen.”