SALT LAKE CITY — Utah officials attribute this year’s increased number in man-made wildfires to the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced summer recreation outdoors at higher rates.
Many traditional forms of summer leisure are restricted or banned, meaning record numbers of people are enjoying open outdoor spaces, which has led to more wildfires caused by novice campers and hikers, Utah State Forester Brian Cottam said.
“We know it’s a problem,” Cottam told a committee. “We’re focused on it and trying to find the right solutions to it. Of all of our fires this year, all jurisdictions statewide, 75% are human caused.”
New wildfires flare up almost daily from manmade causes, such as abandoned campfires, illegal fireworks, target shooting and sparks from equipment, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
This year has seen 1,077 fires, which is on track to be a record year. About 825 of those fires were caused by humans, including the 20 square mile (52 square kilometer) so-called Knolls Fire near Orem, Utah that forced the evacuation of over 3,000 homes, destroying one.
“We have 300 more human-caused fires in the state of Utah this year compared to 2018, (Utah’s) worst fire season in history,” Cottam told lawmakers.
Two years ago, fires destroyed approximately 781 square miles (2,023 square kilometers) of land and cost roughly $150 million.
“There are simply so many more people out recreating in wildlands, in places that they might never have gone to, doing things that they might never have done before,” Cottam said.
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