Wildfire prevention has always been a challenge in the West. Hotter, drier weather is making it worse.

Photo: Cottonwood Fire in Utah’s Beaver County – June 22, 2026. Photo credit: Utah Fire Info (reposted by Felton Davis / Flickr. Public Domain). Article by Leia Larsen. Grist – July 31, 2026.

Officials from the Trump administration and members of Congress last week walked along the burn scar from Utah’s devastating Cottonwood Fire and saw the damage from the rain and flood that followed the flames. The wildfire is among the country’s largest, charring more than 97,000 acres. It started on June 22, and is only 95 percent contained as of late Thursday, according to Utah Fire Info. […]

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