KUER0%
Los incendios forestales son caros. Si provocas uno, Utah y el gobierno federal te cobrarán 26%
By Macy Lipkin0%
6/30/2026, 12:10:52 AM
BS Summary: This article contains 32 faulty reasoning types, including Availability Heuristic, Anecdotal, and Appeal to Authority, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 14% saturation with 104 hits. Analysis detected 1,090 faulty-reasoning hits from 742 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 37.7% and a BS Rank of 26% (16,312 of 21,887 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 74.50% of the article peer group.
While wildfires rage across Utah, state forester Jamie Barnes said this season is unlike anything Utah firefighters have seen before.
“These are historic times, people,” she said Thursday while standing in Popperton Park near the University of Utah, where the Bonneville Fire came within 100 feet of the Huntsman Cancer Institute this month.
That fire, which burned 566 acres, is small compared to the fires in central and southern Utah.
With more than 240,000 total acres burned so far, this wildfire season has already far surpassed 2025’s 160,000 acres.
And it’s only June.
It’s difficult to estimate how much that has cost the state so far, but Barnes figures it’s north of $20 million.
The 2025 fire year was the costliest on record in Utah, with more than $191 million in total costs.
The federal government owns nearly two-thirds of Utah’s land and covered about 85% of the fire bill that year.
Federal Emergency Management Agency grants are expected to cover 75% of the costs to contain the Iron and Cottonwood fires in Juab and Beaver counties, respectively.
These grants cover firefighting, but not rebuilding, and the money can take years to arrive.
Generally, fire suppression costs include things like firefighter salaries, equipment, land use and food and support at camps, the U.S.
Forest Service wrote in an email in response to KUER questions.
And those costs add up.
A 20-person crew costs about $11,000 per day.
Fighting fires from the air only adds to that cost: $2,100 per hour for a single-engine air tanker, $3,200 per hour for a heavy air tanker, according to a Forest Service spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the state has $120 million set aside for fighting fires and assisting in recovery, Gov.
Spencer Cox said at the press conference where he announced his state emergency order on fireworks.
He made the statement alongside Barnes, first responders and civic leaders.
Cox said the Iron Fire, which prompted evacuations in Eureka, is believed to have been caused by fireworks.
“Obviously it was illegal fireworks, because you can’t light them at this time of year anyway,” he said.
No matter how they start, starting fires can have legal consequences.
For example, Salt Lake County is charging a man who allegedly started a fire in Memory Grove Park.
County Mayor Jenny Wilson is asking residents to report fireworks-users and warns that the first offense carries a $1,000 fine.
And the Utah Department of Public Safety is increasing patrols in high-risk areas, said Commissioner Beau Mason.
The state has an attorney assigned to recover wildfire costs, Barnes noted.
But getting reimbursements is complicated because people who start fires don’t necessarily have the money to pay for the damages.
“It’s a balance between getting that money back and holding that person accountable,” she said.
Since there’s no specific law regarding starting fires, it’s difficult to determine how much people have paid.
When federal lands are involved, the U.S.
Attorney’s Office gets involved.
Melissa Holyoak, U.S. attorney for the District of Utah, told KUER in an interview that her office often handles minor matters, like someone leaving a campfire unattended.
Even if a fire isn’t started, they take legal action because of the high risk.
“We want to make sure, especially from a deterrence perspective, that people actually put out these fires,” Holyoak said.
Prosecuting for arson is uncommon because it’s difficult to prove intent to start a fire, Holyoak said, pointing to the Palisades Fire in California.
Regardless of whether someone did it on purpose, Holyoak said her office will sue to recover some money.
Even if a person can’t pay, their homeowner’s insurance might.
“We’re unfortunately recovering pennies on the dollar, but we do recover amounts that help,” Holyoak said.
Investigations can take years, but she said the high cost makes these cases a priority.
Once a fire is underway, Holyoak worries that drones will interfere with firefighting efforts.
When drones fly, aircraft must stay grounded.
A conviction for drone interference could carry up to two years in prison, she said.
If someone gets hurt, the sentence could be much longer.
“Fires can continue to grow, and every minute counts in these cases.”
Macy Lipkin is a Report for America corps member working for KUER in northern Utah.
This report was translated by artificial intelligence and edited by Edgar Zúñiga of Avanza 88.3, Utah’s first bilingual public radio station.
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