Wildfire activity increases across the nation, Utah no exception

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The National Preparedness Level has increased to four (PL4) as of Saturday, July 12, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). Utah is no exception, seeing a number of wildfires plague the state amid warm, dry conditions.

“Wildfire activity has increased across the nation,” Utah Fire Info posted on social

media.

Major wildland fire activity is happening in multiple areas around the country with a substantial commitment of resources, according to the NIFC. The National Preparedness Level (PL) shift to four reflects the growing demands of firefighting resources across the country due to a significant increase in wildfire activity.

The NIFC uses a five-level preparedness system — PL1 to PL5. PL4 means that national resources are heavily committed to significant wildfire activity across multiple geographic areas. This level indicates that there is a competition for resources, including firefighters, equipment, and incident management teams.

On Saturday alone, seven new large fires were reported, bringing the total to 34 uncontained incidents, according to the NIFC. Additionally, another 71 wildfires are being managed on unique landscapes with specific strategies being tailored to contain them. Over 12,600 firefighters and support personnel nationally are assigned to wildfire incidents.

“The National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) has had to increasingly engage with Geographic Area Coordination Centers (GACCs) to coordinate allocation of resources and fill orders for most national resource types,” a post from the NIFC states.

The potential for significant incidents emerging across the nation means that resource demands will continue to increase, officials said.

“As we head deeper into summer, the risk for wildfires remains elevated in many areas,” the NIFC stated. “A spark in the wrong place can become a fast-moving fire. That’s why it’s critical to take extra care when using vehicles, campfires, or equipment outdoors. Most wildfires are human-caused, and preventable.”

Officials said the level-four Preparedness Level is a call to action for everyone — not just firefighters. Eastern Nevada, in particular, is under grave wildfire risk.

“A new fuels and fire behavior advisory has been issued for eastern Nevada, where fine fuels, especially grasses, are critically dry and continuous,” the NIFC stated. “In these areas, even small ignitions can lead to fast-moving wildfires with extreme behavior.”

You can read the full advisory below.

Above-normal temperatures will continue to spread across the West, officials said, with the greatest anomalies of 10-15°F above normal in California and the Northwest.

Minimum relative humidity of 5-20% will be widespread across the Intermountain West, lowest from California through the Great Basin into the central and southern Rockies, according to the NIFC. Locally breezy westerly winds gusting to 25 mph will occur in the Greater Four Corners.

“Isolated mixed wet and dry thunderstorms will develop near and east of the Divide in Colorado and New Mexico, with isolated storms possible on the Mogollon Rim. The thunderstorms will be wetter in the adjacent High Plains,” the NIFC stated. “Scattered showers and thunderstorms, a few severe, will develop along and ahead of a cold front from the central and southern Plains northeast into the Great Lakes, while isolated showers and thunderstorms are expected across much of the rest of the eastern US. The warming and drying trend will continue in Alaska, with minimum relative humidity of 25-35% across the Interior amid widespread temperatures in the 70s.”

For year-to-date statistics and updates on national wildfire info, visit the NIFC website here.