SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Fire restrictions across Utah will be raised due to current and forecast weather conditions, along with the extremely dry vegetation in the state.
Starting Friday, the entire state will be under Stage 2 Fire Restrictions, officials announced.
"The State Forester has determined that measures must be taken to prevent the ignition of forest and rangeland fires," a release said.
In addition, Gov. Spencer Cox declared a state of emergency to make resources available to fight the wildfires.
According to the governor, nearly 114,000 acres have burned in Utah from 693 fires in 2025, with suppression costs rising above $103 million across all local, state, and federal agencies.
“Heroic efforts are underway as firefighters and emergency personnel work around the clock to save homes and neighborhoods,” Cox said. “We are mobilizing every tool at our disposal to support them and keep Utahns safe.”
The new restrictions order covers all state lands and all unincorporated private lands. The order does not affect private lands within incorporated towns or city limits.
Under Stage 2 Fire Restrictions, the following acts are prohibited:
- Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire, including charcoal grills, pellet grills, or ash-producing fuel.
- Properly shielded gas or liquid-fueled portable camp stoves with a shut-off valve are allowed, so long as there is at least three feet in diameter that is barren with no flammable vegetation.
- Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, trailer, or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area that is paved or free from dry vegetation.
- Discharging or using any fireworks, tracer ammunition, or other pyrotechnic devices, including exploding targets.
- Cutting, welding, or grinding metal in areas of dry vegetation.
- Operating a motorcycle, chainsaw, ATV, or other small internal combustion engine without an approved and working spark arrestor.
In addition, all open fires (wood and charcoal) are prohibited at Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Hovenweep National Monument, and Natural Bridges National Monument.
Residents dealing with outages, nerves near Monroe Canyon Fire:
Wildfires have burned tens of thousands of acres across Utah this summer, including the current Monroe Canyon Fire in the central part of the state that has grown to nearly 50,000 acres and forced evacuations and caused power outages.
“The Deer Creek and Monroe Canyon Fires show how quickly fire behavior can turn extreme in Utah right now," said Brett Ostler, Fire Management Officer with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands. "With fuels drying out more each day and no relief in sight, our landscapes are becoming increasingly at risk for large wildfires.”
