Babylon Fire Tops 100,000 Acres as Monticello Residents Remain on Alert
The blaze has burned 96,594 acres and remains 0% contained as firefighters build indirect containment lines and prepare for possible new evacuations.
- The Babylon Fire burning southwest of Monticello has become the largest active wildfire in the United States, reaching 100,479 acres by Tuesday with 11 percent containment and five structures destroyed.
- Extreme heat, dry vegetation, and gusty winds fueled rapid growth, forcing managers to abandon direct attacks in steep, remote terrain and instead build an indirect "containment box" using road systems as firebreaks.
- More than 1,300 firefighters, including volunteer crews from Emery and Carbon counties, are deployed to the blaze. Celeste Prescott, public information officer with Great Basin Team 2, said yesterday was "definitely an intense one and a real firefight."
- The San Juan County Sheriff's Office elevated new areas to "set" status, requiring residents to prepare for short-notice evacuations. The Monticello Ranger District of the Manti-La Sal National Forest and Needles District of Canyonlands National Park are fully closed.
- Forecasters expect increasing winds to drive more intense fire behavior as triple-digit temperatures persist in lower-elevation areas this week. InciWeb lists an estimated containment date of August 1 as crews prioritize mop-up operations.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Babylon Fire tops 101K acres, now 11% contained
MONTICELLO, Utah, July 8, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — At two weeks old, the Babylon Fire is estimated at 101,073 acres. “As a result of tactical and strategic firefighting operations, the fire’s containment is now at 11%,” says an update from the U.S. Forest Service-Manti-La Sal National Forest. The fire, located 25 miles southwest of Monticello, has burned five structures. Crews working the fire number 34, and total personnel number 1, 353. Other r…
Emery and Carbon crews join fight against nation’s largest wildfire
EMERY/CARBON COUNTY – Local volunteer firefighters are answering a dire call for help as several wildland firefighting teams from Emery and Carbon counties deploy to southeastern Utah to battle the largest growing fire in the country, the Babylon Fire. Burning in San Juan County approximately 25 miles southwest of Monticello, the Babylon Fire has exploded to 96,594 acres with 0% containment, officially making it the largest active wildfire curre…
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