File:Brianhead Fire, Utah (MODIS 2017-07-02).jpg

English: Flames devoured more than 60,000 acres of Utah conifers in the final week of June 2017. A wildfire, likely started by people, spread across a landscape of mixed conifers, feeding on dry trees that had succumbed to earlier beetle infestation.

According to InciWeb Incident Information System, the Brianhead Fire started on June 17 at 12:20 p.m. on lands administered by Brian Head Town, Iron County, in cooperation with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands. It has expanded into the Dixie National Forest and Color Country District.

As of July 1, the fire was reported to be only 60% contained, with an estimated containment date of July 15. More than 1,800 firefighters were working the fire on that date. The forecast is for continued hot and dry weather across the region, with low humidity. Such conditions continue to dry the vegetation, creating more easily combustible fuel ahead of the fire and tend to allow fire expansion.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a true-color image of the Brian Head Fire on June 24. Smoke rises from the broad actively burning areas and blows generally to the southeast.