Western U.S. Wildfires Surge Under Powerful Southwest Winds; Three Firefighters Killed in Colorado

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Note: This article is based upon an AI-generated summary of today’s Lookout Livestream. It has been edited and proof-read by a human.

Watch the Livestream, here:

Western U.S. Wildfires Surge Under Powerful Southwest Winds; Three Firefighters Killed in Colorado

Strong southwest winds and critically dry conditions across the interior West have driven explosive wildfire growth in Arizona, Utah, western Colorado, and parts of New Mexico over the past two days, according to a June 28 briefing by Lookout Media wildfire analyst Zeke Lunder.

While the Pacific Northwest and California remain relatively cool and moist with minimal large fire activity, the Great Basin and Four Corners region are experiencing extreme fire behavior, with some fires running five to nine miles in a single afternoon.

The current fire outbreak has already turned deadly. Three firefighters were killed and two seriously burned in western Colorado on the Snyder Fire (originally a complex of the Jones, Snyder, and Knolls fires) near the I‑70 corridor west of Grand Junction. Details are still emerging.

Weather Pattern and Drought are Driving Extreme Fire Behavior

The current wildfire bust can attributed in part to a large-scale pressure pattern, which is bringing sustained strong winds and dry conditions to an area which is already tinder-dry due to a multi-year drought. A low-pressure system moving from the Gulf of Alaska into the Pacific Northwest has brought moisture and cool temperatures to Washington, Oregon and Northern California.

Drought Map

The low pressure over the Pacific Northwest, interacting with a high-pressure system over eastern Texas, has set up a corridor of strong southwest winds across Arizona, Utah, Western Colorado and parts of New Mexico

This setup has created classic wind-driven fire conditions in fine, dry fuels across the interior West, while leaving California and much of the Northwest relatively quiet.

Satellite imagery and infrared data from the National Interagency Fire Center show numerous fires that were small or barely visible yesterday morning blowing up into thousands of acres by evening.

Major Fires in Utah and Arizona

Cottonwood Fire (Western Utah)

The Cottonwood Fire, near the town of Beaver along I‑15 in western Utah, emerged early this week, and has become a major incident:

  • Rapid early growth:
    • Roughly 60,000 acres in the first two days (Tuesday and Wednesday, this week)
    • Another 20,000 acres in the North Creek drainage on 6/26/2026
  • Latest behavior:
    • Only about 1,000 acres of new growth yesterday (6/27)
    • Most recent spread is “filling in” the interior of the existing perimeter
  • Operational focus:
    • Efforts to secure the western edge north of Highway 153, and securing the scattered portions of the eastern boundary which are still active.
    • Planning potential control work along Cork Ridge, to the north to keep the fire from making another major run

At nearly 100,000 acres, the fire is “too big” for direct control everywhere, so crews are focusing on key pockets of activity and avoiding situations where they could be trapped downwind of a blowup.


Cottonwood Fire, view to NE. Black areas had burned yesterday morning. Orange areas are new growth. Not much fire activity on east or south lines. Fire has run up into alpine/sparse veg to the NE. Historic fires. Yellow = 1990s, green = 2000s, light blue = 2010s, dark blue = 2020s.

Wild Goose Fire (Near Highway 50, Utah)

The Wild Goose Fire near Highway 50 in Utah has also made significant runs but has recently slowed:

  • The fire did cross Highway 50, contrary to earlier assumptions.
  • An incident command team is arriving, with dozers constructing control lines around the most vulnerable areas.
  • Operations maps show the fire largely uncontained, with some line tied into roads on one flank.

Lunder noted that, as with many wind-driven runs, once a fire has burned from valley bottom to ridge top, it can temporarily “run out of gas” in terms of terrain advantage, buying firefighters time to build lines where future spread is still possible.


Wild Goose Fire with historic fires. Yellow = 1990s, green = 2000s, light blue = 2010s, dark blue = 2020s.

Cherry & Iron Fires (Near Eureka, Utah)

South of Salt Lake City near Eureka, the Cherry Fire has burned into the older Iron Fire:

  • The Cherry Fire made a major run within the last 24 hours and is now tightly connected to previous firing operations conducted to control the Iron Fire.
  • Approximately 4,000 acres of new growth were recorded, mostly on the south side.
  • Evacuations remain in place for Silver City and Mammoth, though Lunder suggested they may be lifted soon if weather moderates and lines hold.
  • Changing winds associated with a cold frontal passage caused the fire to reverse direction on the southern end, a textbook scenario that can turn a “flank” into a deadly head fire in seconds.

Lunder highlighted these shifting winds as a classic setup in which firefighters, who think they are in a safe position on the flank or heel of a fire, can suddenly find themselves directly in the path of a fast-moving head fire.


Cherry and Iron Fires with historic fires. Yellow = 1990s, green = 2000s, light blue = 2010s, dark blue = 2020s.

The Pocket Fire near Sedona, Arizona
The Pocket Fire has been burning for 8 days, and the northern edge had been fairly contained by firing operations along roads and trails, but, under a day of strong southwest winds, the fire spotted over the contained areas on the north and burned about 3,200 new acres in a 3 mile run to the north.

The fire is within 10 miles of Flagstaff, but years of forest thinning and fuel‑reduction work in the ponderosa pine forests surrounding the city are designed to reduce the intensity of sfires near the city—creating breaks in dense fuels, improving access for firefighters, and helping prevent the kind of long, high‑intensity runs that the Pocket Fire and other recent starts have been making in less treated areas.


Pocket Fire and Flagstaff (upper left) with historic fires. Yellow = 1990s, green = 2000s, light blue = 2010s, dark blue = 2020s.

Sycamore Fire (East of Phoenix, Arizona)

The Sycamore Fire, east of Phoenix:

  • Roughly 12,000 acres in size
  • No significant spread in the last two days, even under strong winds
  • Considered a relatively stable incident at this point, a positive sign given regional conditions
  • Lunder noted that when a fire holds through multiple days of “crazy” wind without major new runs, managers begin to feel “pretty good about it”, though monitoring and line improvement continue.

Babylon Fire: Remote and Under-mapped

One of the most striking data points from the briefing came from the Babylon Fire in southern Utah, which illustrates how stretched mapping resources have become:

  • The morning NIFC situation report listed Babylon at 300 acres.
  • Heat-detecting satellites, however, indicate a footprint closer to 18,000 acres.
  • The likely reasons:
    • Babylon may not have received a dedicated infrared flight last night amid heavy regional demand or lack of an order for the mapping service from local fire managers.
    • Its remote, steep, sparsely populated location reduces its priority for firefighting resources compared with other fires threatening communities.

This mapping is based on large-scale satellite heat detection data. Whether it is 15,000 or 20,000 acres, Lunder said, Babylon is clearly a large, remote fire in terrain “steeper than a cow’s face,” where options are limited until weather and winds ease.

Colorado: Deadly Fires in Grass and Desert

Southwestern Colorado: “Screamers” With Little Initial Attack

North of Cortez and Dolores, three fires erupted under extreme winds and immediately began racing across the landscape:

  • All three became what Lunder called “screamers”, running rapidly downwind in fine, grassy fuels.
  • Yesterday, firefighters could do little direct work due to the intensity of fire behavior.
  • Today, crews are scouting, planning, and competing for scarce personnel and aircraft with other major incidents across the region.

As fires multiply, resource triage becomes increasingly stark. Lunder openly described how the presence of structures and politics influence who gets help first.

“Trees don’t vote,” he said. “If you’re the Babylon Fire and you want ten hotshot crews but you’re just burning ground where no one lives, you’re probably not going to get them, especially if another fire is threatening homes—or a senator’s fishing cabin.”


Fires near Cortez, southwestern Colorado

Snyder Fire: Fatal Incident Near Grand Junction

Three firefighters were killed yesterday fighting fires along the I‑70 corridor near Grand Junction and Fruita, where three separate starts—the Jones, Snyder, and Knolls fires—have merged into the Snyder Fire:

  • The fires ran about nine miles yesterday.
  • They are burning roughly 10 miles from Fruita and 15 miles from Grand Junction through a maze of:
    • Limited road access
    • Cliffs and drop-offs
    • Box canyons and narrow peninsulas

In this difficult terrain, three firefighters were killed and two others seriously burned. National reports have named the Knolls Fire as the origin point of the fatal incident, though the fires are now managed as one complex.

Lunder said the tragedy underscores how desert and grassland fires can be among the deadliest:

“We think of giant timber fires as the most dangerous, but a fast-running grass fire in the desert—super dry, super windy, and constantly shifting winds—is where we’ve killed a lot of firefighters.”

He pointed to past disasters like the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona and historic fatalities in western Colorado, including the South Canyon Fire (Storm King Mountain), as reminders of the hazards when weather, fine fuels, and topography align.


The Snyder Fire (Snyder, Jones, and Knowles, combined). Firefighters died on the Knowles Fire.

Red Rock Fire: Another Start in a Crowded Field

Further north in western Colorado, the Red Rock Fire started yesterday and is estimated at around 300 acres, though not yet fully mapped.

With limited aviation and ground resources available, Lunder warned that fires like Red Rock—normally candidates for quick initial attack—may escape and grow, contributing to the regional crisis.

New Mexico and Wyoming: Emerging and Moderated Threats

Beehive Fire, Northern New Mexico

In northern New Mexico, about 50 miles northwest of Taos, the Beehive Fire made a significant wind-driven run:

  • Satellite data indicate roughly 3,000 acres burned Saturday afternoon.
  • A local Type 3 incident management team and six dozers are being ordered to the fire.
  • As with Babylon and Red Rock, Beehive may face resource limitations due to a lack of dense nearby development.

Kinky Creek Fire, Wyoming

Near Jackson, Wyoming, the Kinky Creek Fire is burning in extraordinarily complex topography:

  • Estimated at 900 acres.
  • Benefiting from wet weather, which is moderating fire behavior and limiting growth.

Lunder jokingly called it the “kinkiest topography ever,” but noted that current cooler, wetter conditions are helping keep that incident manageable.

Fire Weather Outlook: Relief for Some, Pressure for Others

Looking ahead, Lunder presented a multi-day fire danger and wind forecast for the western U.S.:

  • Sunday (today)
    • Critical wind conditions persist across:
      • Southern Utah
      • Northern Arizona
      • Northern New Mexico
      • Western Colorado
    • Fires already burning in these regions are likely to have another active, high-risk day where unburned fuel remains.
  • Monday
    • Wind triggers ease across much of the region.
    • However, it remains critically dry in many of the same interior zones, leaving fuels highly receptive to new ignitions.
  • Tuesday and onward
    • Renewed or lingering wind threats in eastern Utah and along the Colorado border.
    • The broader West—including California and the Pacific Northwest—is forecast to remain relatively mild, with no major large-fire weather triggers in the short term.

“California has really got no major fire hazard right now for the foreseeable future,” Lunder said. “We’re glad to have a break.”

Human Causes and Fire Prevention: “Don’t Be That Person”

Responding to viewer questions, Lunder addressed how current fires are starting:

  • A mix of lightning-caused and human-caused ignitions.
  • The Cottonwood Fire has been confirmed as human-caused, though investigators have not released details.
  • Heavy lightning over the past week has lit others.

Far from conspiracy theories, he said, many dangerous fires originate from everyday activities:

  • Target shooting, especially:
    • Into old cars or metal objects
    • With incendiary or tracer rounds
    • In dry grass and hot, windy conditions
  • Welding and grinding near dry grass or debris
  • Dragging trailer chains along roadways
  • Mowing dry, cured grass during the heat of the day

Using his own mistakes as examples—including nearly igniting a car while shooting, and starting a fire when sparks from a metal grinder went thru an exhaust fan in his shop into dry grass, outside —Lunder urged people to adjust behavior when it’s hot, dry, and windy:

“Don’t be the knuckhead that everyone’s gonna hate later because you burned down the mountain.”

He recommended:

  • Doing mowing and yard work early in the morning, finishing by about 10 a.m.
  • Using weed eaters instead of mowers in dry grass.
  • Avoiding shooting or metal work in high winds and dry fuels.

Learning From the Past, Building Public Literacy

Lunder placed the current Colorado fatalities in the context of decades of wildland fire lessons, many of which are now taught through “staff rides”—on-site trainings at historic fatality incidents like South Canyon near Glenwood Springs.

On such trips, crews hike the terrain, reconstruct the decisions made, and confront the question: “What would you do in this situation, right now?”

These experiences, he said, shape today’s lessons, policies, and risk tolerance—including decisions not to engage aggressively when conditions are clearly lethal.

Independent Fire Coverage and Tools at The Lookout

Lunder closed by highlighting The Lookout’s website, lookout.org, which hosts:

  • Summaries of fire briefings and regional outlooks
  • Educational material on:
    • Fire behavior and fuels
    • Fire ecology
    • Land-use topics including cannabis cultivation and fire
  • Curated maps and data tools for:
    • Fuel conditions
    • Fire hazard outlooks
    • Active fire perimeters

He explained that he uses QGIS, an open-source geographic information system, along with public data feeds from agencies such as NIFC, to build the “deep geek” map layers seen in his broadcasts.

Critical of large social media platforms’ control over content, Lunder said he prefers to keep The Lookout’s work on an independent site.

The Lookout is supported by viewers through sponsorships, merchandise, Patreon, and direct donations.

“Make The Lookout your first stop to get informed on wildfire,” Lunder said, signing off after about 36 minutes. “If you want to geek out like we do, we’ve got the tools for you.”