Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) warned this week that his state is enduring one of the most active fire seasons in recent memory — and that humans have been responsible for most of the blazes.

“We’re seeing exactly the kind of extreme fire behavior we hoped that we would not but warned was very likely,” Cox said during his monthly news conference, aired Thursday on PBS Utah.

The governor expressed distress at the fact that 72 percent of the multiple wildfires raging across Utah this season have been caused by humans. The fires, fueled by strong winds and hot, dry weather, have scorched thousands of acres statewide, he noted.

For example, Cox described a “firenado” that was “strong enough to flip heavy equipment, rip roofs off and spread flames unpredictably” stemming from the 15,000-acre Deer Creek Fire south of Moab.

He also detailed similarly catastrophic blazes in Sevier County in Central Utah, near St. George in the southwestern corner of the state and an almost 35,000-acre incident near Bryce Canyon National Park. 

While acknowledging that the total number of wildfires this year is similar to those last year — 571 versus 576 — Cox stressed that “conditions on the ground are worse, and fires are behaving very differently.”

Last year, he explained, the soil contained much more moisture, creating a buffer that helped moderate fire activity. Two consecutive winters of robust snowpack also amplified the growth of grasses and brush that are now fueling the fires, the governor added.

“The tinder-dry landscape means every spark has a greater chance of becoming a large and fast-moving wildfire,” he said.

Cox appealed to fellow Utahns to use common sense and avoid activities like abandoning campfires or going target shooting in dry brush. He also emphasized the importance of cutting back brush around forest cabins, to create a defensible space.

The governor recognized a history of both mismanagement and lack of management on some forest lands, while noting that “bad decisions” over the past few decades are not solely responsible for the crises that have occurred.

“Climate change is part of that, for sure,” Cox said. “But whether you believe the climate is changing because it’s human caused or not, it is changing, and we’ve got to adapt to that.”

One of the major ways Utah and other states across the U.S. West are adapting, he explained is by treating forests with prescribed burns — a process that has led to a noticeable reduction in fuels a decrease in damage done.

“The good news is that we are doing more, and I want to give credit to both the Trump administration and the Biden administration, who realized years ago that that we needed to do more,” Cox said.

Yet as wildfires continue to wreak havoc across the state, the governor noted “an uptick in water use” and that reservoir levels plunged 10 percent during June — five times more than average for this time of year.

Although reservoirs are at 77 percent capacity, slightly above normal at this point, these storage sites “are being depleted at an above average rate,” he warned.

“It’s OK to have yellow lawns this year,” Cox said. “We give you permission not to keep them up and keep them green.”

Recognizing a June declaration he had made for a statewide day of prayer and fasting for rain, the governor — a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — emphasized that prayer alone would not be enough.

“While we need faith and prayers, we also need people to cut back on their usage,” Cox added.