Earlier this year, wildfires raged across Southern California, spurred by winds and drought conditions. Dozens died and thousands lost their homes as the fires burned.
“We want to make sure that doesn’t happen here,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Tuesday, “but let me assure you that it could happen here if we aren’t careful.”
The governor, alongside other state and federal officials, on Tuesday asked Utahns to prepare for what is likely to be an active wildfire season throughout the state.
Southwestern Utah is mired in extreme drought, while most of the rest of the state is drier than usual for this time of year, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Cox in late April declared a state of emergency due to drought conditions in over half of Utah’s counties, the first such declaration in three years.
Utah, and much of the West, saw above-average snowpack and precipitation in recent years, which helped assuage severe wildfire concerns. But after a dry winter, the state’s leaders are preparing for the worst this summer.
“I worry we’ve gotten a little complacent, not in firefighting, but as the public, when it comes to fire danger,” Cox said.
“The piece of us getting lucky with Mother Nature isn’t going to continue,” he added, “and we need people to really be careful this year.”