A wildfire burning in Utah has grown to nearly 60,000 acres, prompting mandatory evacuations of homes and campgrounds and completely closing a highway in the mountainous area.
Fueled by drought conditions and blustery winds, the Cottonwood Fire in Beaver County has almost doubled in size in the past 24 hours.
The Cottonwood Fire in Beaver County started Monday afternoon and spread rapidly, fanned by wind gusts of up to 50 mph, according to Utah Fire Info.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the blaze had grown to 59,613 acres “due to high temperatures, gusty winds, and extremely dry fuels,” the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement early Wednesday. The fire remains 0% contained.