Many Utahns are celebrating July Fourth differently this year after Gov. Spencer Cox announced a ban on personal fireworks, part of a sweeping safety effort as wildfires scar vast swaths of the state.
Crews are battling 10 large fires, according to the state’s official wildfire information website. Those blazes are burning more than 320,000 acres. Officials say at least 74,000 of that is human-caused, while just over 13,000 is due to natural causes. The cause for the other 250,000 is still being determined.
Here are the updates, as of Friday afternoon, on Utah’s five biggest wildfires:
The Cottonwood Fire
The Cottonwood Fire, burning near Beaver, is the largest active blaze. Burning across nearly 94,000 acres, it is currently the largest fire in the country.
The fire is 23% contained (meaning nearly a quarter of the fire is behind a perimeter crews feel confident it will not cross). It was discovered June 22 and has prompted mandatory evacuations in Eagle Point, Merchant Valley and surrounding areas.
The fire is already the sixth largest in Utah history, and officials have called it one of the “most destructive,” destroying more than 150 structures and costing more than $20 million to fight. Its cause has yet to be determined.
The Babylon Fire
(U.S. Forest Service) Smoke rises from the Babylon Fire near Blanding on June 27.
The Babylon Fire in southeastern Utah near Bears Ears National Monument has scorched nearly 80,000 acres and is 0% contained. It is the second largest fire in the nation. It was discovered four days after the Cottonwood Fire and its cause also has yet to be determined.
Officials say they are concerned there will be significant fire activity over the weekend with high temperatures and low moisture in the area, but the winds are expected to push the fire toward natural barriers over the weekends.
The Babylon Fire has been less destructive so far than the Cottonwood blaze, destroying four structures as of Friday.
The Iron Fire
Burning over 41,842 acres, the Iron Fire in Juab County has been almost entirely contained.
The fire was discovered June 19 and was determined to have been caused by human activity. It prompted mandatory evacuations in Eureka and the surrounding area.
On Thursday, the crews fighting the Iron Fire were informed that they may have been exposed to lead after officials learned that part of the fire had burned through contaminated soil.
The Cherry Fire
The Cherry Fire is connected to the Iron Fire, but officials have distinguished between the two. The Cherry Fire was not reported until June 26. It has charred more than 34,000 acres is 93% contained. The cause is undetermined.
Together, the Cherry and Iron fires blackened more than 75,000 acres in central Utah.
The Snyder Fire
Utah’s fifth-largest fire is burning in Snyder. It is 65% contained and has scarred more than 30,000 acres over the Utah-Colorado border, prompting evacuations in the area. It is connected to another fire, the uncontained Jones Fire, burning 1,459 acres.

Addy Baird