Utah's wildfire season reaches historic extremes

Driving the news: Utah has already broken a record this year for the number of acres burned in wooded and forested areas, surpassing 285,000 acres, according to U. researchers.

• Two firefighter pilots battling the Widemouth 2 Fire in Fishlake National Forest died last week after their helicopter crashed.

Stunning stat: This year alone, three major wildfires — Babylon, Cottonwood and Widemouth 2 — have burned more than 60,000 acres of trees, according to Philip Dennison, a geography professor at the University of Utah.

• There have been only seven fires since 1986 that burned as much woodlands and forest, he noted.

What they're saying: "This year's fires have really had an unprecedented impact on Utah's trees," Dennison told reporters last week.

• The damage could have environmental and economic consequences, according to Dennison. Trees provide critical ecosystem benefits, and some fires are burning in high-elevation areas that provide drinking water.
• The loss of forested areas could also impact Utah's recreation and tourism industries.

By the numbers: As of Wednesday, 839 fires had burned more than half a million acres in Utah this season, per statewide data, making it the second worst wildfire season in the state. About half were human-caused.

• Utah is projected to spend $33 million to fight wildfires this year, and that would outpace last year's record-breaking spending, Utah News Dispatch reported.

Flashback: Wildfires burned nearly 630,000 acres in Utah in 2007, which is the most on record, according to the Dispatch.

The big picture: Other Western states are also experiencing historically destructive wildfire seasons.

• Oregon is having its worst wildfire year ever, with more than 2 million acres burned.