“We’re looking at the potential for one of the worst fire seasons, possibly, that we’ve had in about six to eight years,” Basil Newmerzhycky said Thursday afternoon.
Some parts of Utah are in extreme drought, and the southeastern corner of the state is experiencing the most intense level of drought, according to Newmerzhycky, a fire meteorologist with the federal Bureau of Land Management.
“Our fire seasons are getting longer, and a lot of fires are getting more difficult to suppress,” the Forest Service’s David Whittekiend said.
Whittekiend and Newmerzhycky presented a forecast of this season’s wildfire risk Thursday afternoon at the pavilion in City Creek Canyon.