Utah Governor Spencer Cox imposed temporary restrictions on Fourth of July fireworks on June 26 due to extreme fire risk. State officials cited historic wildfire conditions as the reason for the decision.

"Nada de esta decisión fue fácil", dijo Cox. "A los habitantes de Utah les encanta celebrar el 4 de julio con familia, amigos y fuegos artificiales. A mí también. Pero este año es diferente. Estamos viendo un comportamiento del fuego que incluso nuestros bomberos más experimentados dicen que nunca habían presenciado antes". Cox added that the measure was temporary. "Esta es una medida temporal para un año extraordinario", dijo Cox. "Protege vidas y hogares, al tiempo que permite a los líderes locales, en colaboración con los bomberos, identificar áreas donde se pueden usar fuegos artificiales de forma segura".

On June 26, meteorologists issued an "extremely critical" fire risk alert, a level 3 of 3, for all of Utah, parts of northern Arizona, and eastern Nevada. The National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City also issued a red flag warning for a "particularly dangerous situation" covering central and southern Utah. State authorities reported that more than three-quarters of Utah's wildfires this season were caused by humans. State authorities warned that anyone whose illegal actions caused a wildfire could face criminal charges and civil liability for damages.

The Cottonwood fire, burning in the Fishlake National Forest east of Beaver, Utah, grew to more than 37,000 hectares by the morning of June 27 and remained at 0 percent containment. Evacuations were ordered due to the fire. State and local officials believe the Cottonwood fire is likely the most destructive and costly wildfire recorded in Utah, and its cause is under investigation. A total of 873 people were fighting the Cottonwood fire as of June 27.

Alyssa Mason, a spokesperson for the Cottonwood fire emergency management team, discussed safety protocols. "Siempre priorizamos la seguridad, y en cuanto vemos algo o tenemos alguna sensación de peligro, les decimos a los bomberos que si algo no les gusta, se retiren y busquen un lugar seguro", Mason stated. The Cottonwood fire caused damage or destruction to several buildings at the Eagle Point ski resort. Shane Gadbaw, owner of the Eagle Point ski resort, posted on Facebook that no fatalities had been reported due to the fire. "Agradecemos que, hasta donde sabemos, no haya habido víctimas mortales a causa del incendio", Gadbaw wrote.