The Cottonwood Fire started Monday in a sparsely populated area of southern Utah. Now the nation's largest current wildfire, it ranks as one of the largest in the state's history.
Firefighters are facing challenges on the ground from what managers and experts describe as unprecedented and historic weather conditions. On Friday morning, the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issued a red flag warning, marking the first Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning in the city's history.
These dangerous conditions across the Southwest are threatening to worsen blazes in Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico, putting many communities on high alert. Extreme wildfire behavior is expected to continue through the weekend, and a cold front on Sunday is expected to bring winds that could push the fire in new directions.