Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon as wildfires rage throughout the state, and skies from Salt Lake City to St. George fill with smoke.
“The order, effective immediately, unlocks all available state resources to protect lives, homes, livestock and drinking-water supplies threatened by this year’s severe fire season,” the governor’s office wrote in a statement. It will last 30 days, unless the Legislature comes together to extend it.
Under the order, the governor authorized the deployment of the Utah National Guard, if needed.
Utah’s largest current fire is the Monroe Canyon Fire, mostly in Sevier County in central Utah, which has burned about 37,000 acres and is 11% contained, according to a website maintained by the Utah Department of Natural Resources.
Cox is scheduled to travel to Richfield on Friday morning for a briefing on that fire.
“Heroic efforts are underway as firefighters and emergency personnel work around the clock to save homes and neighborhoods,” Cox said in a statement. “We are mobilizing every tool at our disposal to support them and keep Utahns safe.”
According to the governor’s office, Utah has experienced 693 fires in 2025, which have burned nearly 114,000 acres. Fire suppression costs in the state have reportedly surpassed $103 million across local, state and federal agencies.
Cox issued an emergency declaration earlier this year to address drought in over half of Utah’s counties. Last month, Cox declared a “Day of Prayer and Fasting for Rain.” His office said that approximately three-quarters of fires in Utah this year were human-caused.