Western U.S. wildfires scorch more than 546,000 acres

Wildfires across the western United States have burned over 546,000 acres this season, exceeding the ten‑year average by about 146%. Utah’s Babylon Fire has consumed more than 101,000 acres, making it the state’s largest blaze in eight years, while Colorado’s Aspen Acres Fire has burned roughly 96,000 acres. Together, the two fires account for the majority of the acreage burned.

The fires have prompted a massive response: more than 1,600 firefighters are deployed in Colorado and over 1,300 in Utah, using dozens of helicopters, fire engines, bulldozers and water tenders. Suppression costs have risen to about $17.9 million. Approximately 10,800 residents have been evacuated in Pueblo County, Colorado, and five structures have been lost in Utah. No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported.

Fire officials attribute the rapid spread to an unprecedented drought and low snowpack that left “1,000‑hour fuels” such as large logs exceptionally dry. The Storm Prediction Center has issued elevated to critical fire‑weather warnings for parts of six southwestern states, with low humidity, strong winds and extreme heat raising the risk of new ignitions and rapid fire growth.