what caused the utah cottonwood fire in 2026

The Cottonwood Fire in Utah was reported as human-caused , but officials said the exact ignition source was still under investigation in the latest reports.

What’s known

• Fire officials had determined it was human-caused.

• The specific cause had not been publicly identified yet.

• The fire’s rapid spread was strongly driven by very dry conditions, gusty winds, low humidity, and extreme fire weather.

Context

Early reporting from local and national outlets described the blaze as starting in the Fishlake National Forest area and then expanding quickly across central Utah. By June 29, it had grown to about 93,918 acres and remained 0% contained.

Bottom line

So the best current answer is: the fire was human-caused, but the exact trigger has not been released publicly yet.

TL;DR: Human-caused, exact ignition still under investigation.