BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A wildfire burning east of Beaver has exploded in size since igniting Monday afternoon, prompting evacuation orders across multiple communities and forcing the closure of a major state highway.
The Cottonwood Fire was first reported around 3:36 p.m. Monday near milepost 5 on State Route 153, close to Cottonwood Campground in the Fishlake National Forest’s Beaver Ranger District.
Officials say the fire spread quickly onto Beaver Mountain, growing from an initial estimate of 750 acres to roughly 4,000 acres by Monday night.
By Monday evening, Utah Fire Info reported the blaze had more than tripled again, reaching an estimated 10,000 acres with zero percent containment.
Evacuations Expand as Fire Spreads East
The Beaver County Sheriff’s Office and Beaver County Emergency Management ordered evacuations for several areas, including the HiLo area, HiLo Estates, Arrowhead Summer Homes, Merchant Valley, and Eagle Point.
By Monday night, emergency officials issued an urgent alert through the National Weather Service stating, “Evacuate Eagle Point and Merchant Valley now.”
Residents in the area have been told they cannot travel west toward Beaver and must instead head east through Eagle Point and into Piute County to get clear of the fire. The Sheriff’s Office urged people not to attempt to travel into the affected area at all, citing safety concerns for both residents and responding crews.
Officials are asking anyone leaving the area to drive carefully on dirt roads and stay alert for emergency vehicles moving through the region.
Highway Closed, Water Use Restricted
The Utah Department of Transportation closed both directions of State Route 153 between milepost 2.1, near Kents Lake Road, and milepost 25, at the junction with Bentenson Flat Road.
No estimated reopening time has been given, and drivers are being told to avoid the area entirely.
Beaver City also announced restrictions on the use of its pressurized irrigation system. Officials say firefighting crews are drawing water from the city’s irrigation pond to help battle the flames, so residents cannot use the system until further notice.
Rocky Mountain Power reported outages in the area tied to what the company calls a wildfire emergency de-energization.
The utility shuts off power lines when fire danger gets too close to its equipment, both to protect firefighters and to reduce the risk of additional ignitions. Around 415 customers lost power because of the shutoff, though the company said service was expected to be restored by 10:30 p.m. Monday.
Multiple agencies are responding to the fire, including local, state, and federal crews working with both ground and air resources. A Complex Incident Management Team, identified as Great Basin Team 5 and made up of crews from several states, is scheduled to take command of the fire Tuesday evening.
The cause of the Cottonwood Fire remains under investigation.
The blaze is one of several major wildfires currently burning across Utah.
The state has already seen 337 fires burn more than 64,000 acres so far this year, including the Iron Fire near Eureka, which has burned over 24,000 acres with no containment, and the Hastings Fire in Tooele County, which has grown to roughly 20,000 acres.
This is a developing story, and conditions on the ground are changing quickly. Residents in Beaver County are urged to monitor official channels for the latest evacuation updates.
