By Tracie Sullivan, Iron County Today
As the Cottonwood Fire continued to burn through Beaver County late this week, Cedar City firefighters joined crews from across the state battling the blaze while Gov. Spencer Cox temporarily restricted fireworks ahead of the Fourth of July.
As of Sunday June 28, 2026, the fire had burned nearly 94,000 acres and remained 0% contained. The wildfire had damaged structures, prompted evacuations and become the largest active wildfire in the nation.
In response to the dangerous fire conditions, Cox on Thursday declared a state of emergency and signed an executive order temporarily allowing the state forester to prohibit fireworks statewide through July 5.
The order also allows cities, in consultation with local fire officials, to designate approved areas where fireworks may still be discharged safely.
“Nothing about this decision was easy,” Cox said in a statement. “Utahns love celebrating the Fourth of July with family, friends and fireworks. I do too. But this year is different. We are seeing fire behavior that even our most experienced firefighters say they’ve never witnessed before.”
Among those responding to the Cottonwood Fire were seven firefighters from the Cedar City Fire Department, who deployed with Engine 12 and Water Tender 11 as part of a structure protection group.
Fire Chief Mike Phillips said his crew was assigned to protect structures as flames moved through the area.
“We worked that first day, like 20, 22 hours straight,” Phillips said.
Phillips said firefighters cleared vegetation, removed combustible materials around buildings and used water to protect structures as the fire advanced. The structures assigned to his crew remained standing after the fire passed.
Phillips did not provide comment on what structures the firefighters were saved.
Cox said the temporary restrictions were intended to reduce the risk of additional human-caused fires during the Independence Day holiday.
“Our goal is to make sure our neighborhoods and communities are still standing on July 5,” Cox said.
State officials said they plan to reassess fire conditions before the July 24 Pioneer Day holiday.