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SALT LAKE CITY — Thanksgiving may be a week away, but Gov. Spencer Cox is already feeling grateful for Utah's reduction in human-caused wildfires.
The Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands reports that there was an 11% decrease in wildfires sparked by people this year compared to last year — a drop from 548 fires in 2021 to 489 this year. Human-caused wildfires this year are also down an astounding 48% when compared to 2020 figures.
"We want to thank you," Cox said, joined by Utah firefighters in a new advertisement released on Wednesday. "Thank you for dousing campfires, thank you for maintaining vehicles to prevent road fires, for being safe with fireworks, and for using fire-safety basics. Thank you for doing your part to preserve the beauty of our great state."
The governor's message comes as Utah's wildfire season has all but wrapped up for the year. There have been 987 total wildfires this year that have burned 25,549 acres, according to the Utah Wildfire Dashboard, a site operated by state and federal land managers.
If the numbers hold up, Utah is in line for a 13% decrease in total fires and a 60% drop in total acres burned compared to last year's figures.
Wednesday's message also follows a handful of public service announcements released through Utah's Fire Sense campaign over the past two years. The videos have instructed Utahns on how to prevent human-caused wildfires.
Cox, the Utah Department of Natural Resources and other agencies unveiled the program in May 2021 after a surge in human-caused fires in 2020 started to carry into 2021. State officials say they've seen a major reduction in human-caused fires, especially since July 2021.
The decline in fires is a positive sign because Utah's drought conditions haven't let up much since the current drought began in 2020. All parts of the state experienced drought conditions this summer; in fact, a little more than half of the state remains in at least an extreme drought even after a surge of moisture over the past few weeks, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
"Utahns rose to the occasion and took the challenge to use their Fire Sense this year," said Brett Ostler, the state fire management officer, in a statement Wednesday. "Throughout the state, the numbers show people are changing their behaviors and using their Fire Sense."
