Utah’s Cottonwood fire spreads overnight to cover 92,000 acres

Hundreds of firefighters in Utah have struggled to suppress a wildfire that scorched an additional 20,000 acres (8,000 hectares) as of Saturday, as low humidity and strong winds accelerated the fire spread, according to state officials. The Cottonwood fire erupted on Monday in the Fishlake national forest, located in central Utah . The blaze intensified overnight, growing from about 70,000 acres (28,000 hectares) to more than 92,000 acres (37,000 hectares) on Saturday morning, according to the US Forest Service. The fire is at a 0% containment level and is the largest blaze currently burning in the US, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. There have been no reported injuries or casualties. So far, the fire, whose cause remains under investigation, has left property damage at a ski resort in Beaver county and led to the closure of the national forest. Authorities expect slightly improved weather conditions on Saturday, but they warned that the afternoon may bring “extreme fire behavior” once more due to an increase in temperatures and wind speeds. Residents living north-east of the fire, including in the small town of Marysvale, have been cautioned about “unhealthy” air quality conditions from the blaze’s smoke. Utah is experiencing an unprecedented wildfire season. Two fires burning near Eureka, a town about 80 miles (130km) south of Salt Lake City, have consumed about 70,000 acres combined, prompting residents to evacuate. …