Extremely hot, dry conditions have driven a surge of wildfires across the Western United States and southwestern Canada, prompting mass evacuations and heavy firefighting deployments.
The National Interagency Fire Center said there were 183 new fires in the U.S. since Saturday, including eight large incidents. More than 30,000 personnel and over 640 crews were assigned to fires nationwide, and firefighters were working to contain more than 94 large blazes as of Sunday.
Utah has seen some of the worst activity: nearly a dozen active wildfires there have burned more than 300,000 acres. The Rocky Canyon Fire, about 30 miles northeast of Salt Lake City, grew to roughly 2,800 acres after starting Friday and remained 0% contained on Sunday, triggering evacuations in Morgan County.
Two pilots were killed Friday when their helicopter crashed while fighting the Widemouth 2 Fire in Fishlake National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service confirmed. Utah Governor Spencer Cox mourned the pilots, saying they put themselves in harm’s way to protect the state.
The Widemouth 2 Fire has burned more than 118,000 acres, making it the largest fire in Utah this year and surpassing the Babylon Fire, which had burned about 107,000 acres. Officials reported the Widemouth 2 was 27% contained as of Sunday morning.
In Oregon, a bulldozer operator identified by officials as Jason Ensign died while battling the Wrights Spring Fire, which has scorched more than 33,000 acres and was 0% contained as of Sunday.
Large fires are also burning in Washington, Idaho, Montana and Colorado. In the Spokane, Washington, area, at least 60,000 people were evacuated as several fires burned more than 10,000 acres. Local fire officials said crews made significant progress on containment and were working to eliminate remaining heat sources.
The U.S. Forest Service Fishlake National Forest said an abnormally dry, warm winter contributed to an especially difficult fire season.
Across the border in British Columbia, Canada, the provincial Wildfire Service reported more than 100 active fires. High temperatures and gusty winds were expected to persist in southeastern B.C. and the Okanagan, raising the risk of rapid fire growth. Officials warned of a high potential for lightning-caused ignitions in the central Interior and Okanagan, where limited precipitation and dry lightning can allow new starts to spread quickly.
A state of emergency was declared in British Columbia after the Bald Range wildfire forced more than 20,000 people to evacuate. Premier David Eby said provincial leaders are focused on ensuring emergency crews have the tools needed to protect people.
Fire managers and emergency officials continue to prioritize evacuations and containment efforts as weather patterns and fuel conditions remain favorable for further fire activity.