- The Cottonwood Fire destroyed Eagle Point Resort in Utah's Tushar Mountains.
- The fire, ignited Monday, consumed 59,613 acres by Wednesday and remains uncontained.
- Mandatory evacuations are in effect; weather forecasts may complicate firefighting efforts.
BEAVER — After a day of swift growth, the Cottonwood Fire destroyed structures at the Eagle Point Resort, according to footage from a neighbor of the resort obtained by KSL.
The fire, which ignited Monday evening, consumed thousands of acres and reached 59,613 acres by Wednesday. The fire was 0% contained at that time, according to the U.S. Forest Service and the cause was still under investigation.
Eagle Point Resort is a ski resort in the Tushar Mountains, which, according to its website, was established in the 1970s.
Nathan Rafferty, president of Ski Utah, told KSL in a statement that Ski Utah was "heartbroken by the situation facing Eagle Point Resort."
"An independent mountain and genuine community pillar, Eagle Point is a source of recreation, livelihoods and local identity for the region it calls home. The impact of this fire will be felt across Beaver County and throughout the Utah ski industry," Rafferty continued. "Our gratitude goes to the firefighters, first responders and volunteers who have worked under extraordinarily difficult conditions to protect lives and structures in the area."
The Cottonwood Fire is a major contributor to Utah's rising fire activity, surging to close out June and expanding eight times that of last week's acreage lost.
Mandatory evacuations remained in place for Eagle Point, Merchant Valley, HiLo Estates, Arrowhead Summer Homes and surrounding areas.
Early Wednesday, the Piute County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post that Junction and Circleville were in ready status and should prepare to leave the area if necessary. State Route 153 was also closed in both directions.
More than 105,000 acres have now burned across Utah this year, as the total number jumped past the 100,000-acre mark on Tuesday, per data released by state and federal firefighters. That's compared to 13,300 acres burned, as of June 17.
It's also nearly 65% of the total acreage burned throughout the state in 2025, which was the state's worst fire year in five years.
Utah's weather forecast offers some relief, but also new challenges. A high-pressure system near the Texas Panhandle and a low-pressure system off the California coast are helping push scattered storms into Utah on Wednesday, said KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson.
"If we can get some rain over the Cottonwood Fire, that would help firefighters so much," he said.
The system could also produce gusty winds and lightning, which may complicate firefighting efforts. More rain and thunderstorms are forecast throughout the state on Wednesday night.
The National Weather Service also issued a fire weather watch for most of Utah, in effect from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening, due to a cold front expected to bring strong winds of 20-30 mph, with gusts up to 40-50 mph.
"Critical fire weather conditions are expected," the agency warned. "Any new fire starts or existing fires may spread rapidly."
Contributing: Devan Masciulli and Kennedy Camarena
This story will be updated. To be notified about updates, please click Follow This Story below on the KSL app.
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Mary Culbertson
