(CNN) — Three firefighters have died battling a fast-moving blaze along the Colorado-Utah border, officials said, as dozens of infernos rage across the West, with Utah imposing sweeping restrictions on Fourth of July fireworks ahead of the nation’s 250th Independence Day.

The National Weather Service issued the highest possible fire weather risk Friday, warning dry air and windy gusts posed an “extremely critical” risk of fire conditions over the Four Corners region through Sunday night.

The three firefighters died while battling wildfires that later became known as the fast-growing Snyder Fire, which as of Sunday morning, had burned more than 28,000 acres along the Utah-Colorado border, the US Wildland Fire Service said. Two others were transported to a hospital where they were treated for burn injuries, the service said.

The firefighters had been caught in a “burnover incident,” an extremely dangerous scenario in which firefighting crews are overtaken by a fast-moving blaze with no viable escape route or safety zone, the US Wildland Fire Service said.

“The U.S. Wildland Fire Service and the U.S. Forest Service are focused on supporting the firefighters’ family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time,” the statement read.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency Saturday in Mesa County in reaction to the blaze, which he said had crossed into Colorado from Utah, and authorized the state’s National Guard to support response efforts.

Another fast-moving wildfire, the Gold Mountain Fire, prompted Ouray County, Colorado, to declare a local state of emergency and issue mandatory evacuation orders as it burned in steep, rugged terrain east of Telluride.

The fire, which originated on US Forest Service land, escalated over the weekend as additional state and federal firefighting resources, including hotshot crews, air tankers and helicopters, were mobilized, state officials said.

Utah’s governor announced last week firework restrictions for the Fourth of July, saying a historic drought, hundreds of wildfires and unprecedented fire behavior have stretched Utah’s firefighting resources to the brink.

“Utahns love celebrating the Fourth of July with family, friends and fireworks. I do too. But this year is different,” Gov. Spencer Cox said. “We are seeing fire behavior that even our most experienced firefighters say they’ve never witnessed before.”

The fire threat is so severe the National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City issued its first-ever “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning, which covered central and southern Utah and included the Cottonwood Fire, the state’s largest active blaze.

“This is a temporary measure for an extraordinary year,” Cox said of the fireworks ban. “It protects lives and homes while allowing local leaders, working alongside their fire officials, to identify areas where fireworks can be used safely.”

Powerful wind gusts of 30 to 60 mph prevented water bombers from flying in some parts of Utah Saturday, Utah Division of Forestry Director Jamie Barnes told CNN.

By Sunday evening, a cold front moved through the area, bringing higher humidity and colder temperatures, improving conditions for firefighters, officials said. In the coming days, the humidity is expected to slowly drop again and winds will return, “but it won’t be nearly as strong as we’ve seen the last few days,” Jason Straub, the incident meteorologist, said Sunday evening.

In some municipalities, local leaders working alongside fire officials will designate approved areas where fireworks can still be used under safer conditions.

The Cottonwood Fire, burning through the Fishlake National Forest east of Beaver, Utah, has grown to nearly 100,000 acres as of Sunday evening, an area bigger than Salt Lake City, in just a few days and remains 0% contained. Evacuations are in place for the fire, which state and local officials believe is likely Utah’s most destructive and costly wildfire on record. Its cause is still under investigation.

A total of 1,200 personnel are battling the Cottonwood Fire, where crews have been warned to stay vigilant of the dangerous and unpredictable fire behavior.

“We always have safety first out there, and as soon as we see things or we start getting feelings, we’ve told the guys they don’t like it, disengage, get to a safe place,” Alyssa Mason, a spokesperson for the fire’s emergency management team, told CNN affiliate KSL.

State officials also warned anyone whose illegal actions ignite a wildfire could face steep criminal charges and substantial civil liability for the damage caused.

Farther southeast, the rapidly growing Babylon Fire prompted the Manti-La Sal National Forest to issue an emergency closure Sunday covering all National Forest System lands, roads and trails within the Dark Canyon Wilderness and portions of Bears Ears National Monument, citing public safety and “active wildfire operations.”

The fire exploded from about 300 acres to more than 16,000 acres in 24 hours with no containment as crews battle the blaze and work to protect infrastructure, forest officials said. Strong winds, high temperatures and critically low humidity are expected to keep fire activity high over the coming days.

Beloved cabins and lifelong memories reduced to ashes

As officials continue assessing the ongoing damage, the full toll of the Cottonwood Fire remains unknown. But across the Beaver Mountain community, residents are already grieving the loss of cherished cabins and family retreats that held generations of memories.

For Evan Stapley, Beaver Mountain was more than a weekend getaway — it was woven into his family’s history.

“To me, nothing’s more beautiful than Beaver Mountain in the fall,” Stapley told CNN affiliate KSL. “The aspen yellow, and you get the reds in there and all the greens. There is nothing more beautiful in the world.”

Now, the cabin where those memories were made has been reduced to ash. Stapley said he learned it had burned in the Cottonwood Fire after a friend sent him video of the spot where it once stood.

“I saw that and went, ‘That’s just unbelievable,’” he told KSL. “The fire must have moved so fast and twirled around in there and just took it … I cried,” he added. “I’ve got too many memories, too many memories of that place.”

The fire also dealt a devastating blow to Eagle Point Ski Resort, where several buildings were damaged or destroyed. In a Facebook post, owner Shane Gadbaw said the resort will remain closed as it recovers from what he called a catastrophe.

“We are thankful that to our knowledge, there have been no human casualties from the fire,” Gadbaw said in a Facebook post.

Residents gathered Friday in Piute County as the Cottonwood Fire pushed closer, with flames visible in the distance and smoke settling across the valley, to hear updates and discuss emergency response plans, CNN affiliate KSTU reported.

During the meeting, Nick Schenk of Great Basin Team 5, one of the first responders who fought the blaze Monday, delivered an emotional account of the battle against the fire.

“We did everything we absolutely could. We called for every bit of help we could find. And about all we could do was get people out of the way of it,” Schenk told KSTU.

Photos shared by the resort Thursday showed a handful of lodges still standing amid a landscape of blackened trees.

Farther north, the Iron Fire near Eureka, Utah, has burned more than 40,000 acres after forcing evacuations earlier this week. Nearby, the Cherry Fire, sparked by lightning Friday morning, has grown to more than 30,000 acres.

Another blaze, the Wild Goose Fire, ignited near Holden on Friday, adding to a growing list of active wildfires across Utah. State fire officials estimated by Sunday morning it had burned nearly 11,000 acres as crews worked to assess and contain its spread.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.