The Babylon Fire, burning about 25 miles southwest of Monticello in southeastern Utah, has grown to more than 106,600 acres and reached 54% containment after three weeks on the line — becoming the largest active wildfire in the United States and Utah's first megafire since the 2018 Pole Creek Fire.
From a Single Ignition to a Megafire in a Week
The fire started June 26, 2026 in Babylon Pasture on federal land in San Juan County. Under 50 mph winds and single-digit humidity, it advanced roughly 20,000 acres a day in its first week, tearing across the Manti-La Sal National Forest, Bears Ears National Monument, the Dark Canyon Wilderness, and portions of the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Five structures have been destroyed and federal agencies have spent nearly $42 million on the response, deploying helicopters, air tankers, drones, and close to 1,500 firefighters.
Evacuations, Closures, and a Jail Relocation
The San Juan County Sheriff's Office placed six evacuation zones west of Monticello — CY-1, CY-2, Peters Hill West, Airport, Energy, and SJC-1 — into SET status, a pre-evacuation notice directing residents to gather belongings, secure records, and have an evacuation destination ready. The city of Monticello itself was placed on a heightened evacuation alert. The Utah Department of Corrections evacuated 76 people from the San Juan County Jail — 66 to the Utah State Correctional Facility and 10 to the Sanpete County Jail — as a precaution. Roads and trails across the Monticello Ranger District, Needles District, Shay Mesa, Beef Basin, Dark Canyon, and the Sweet Alice Wilderness Study Area remain fully closed, and downstream communities are already filling sandbags in anticipation of post-fire flash flooding on the newly burn-scarred slopes.
Relief Organizations on the Ground
The American Red Cross has coordinated emergency shelter and support services for displaced San Juan County residents, working with local partners across the region. The Salvation Army is providing meals, hydration, and comfort supplies to evacuees and firefighters through its Intermountain Division mobile feeding operation. FEMA approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant to help reimburse state and local firefighting costs, and Team Rubicon is preparing veteran-led damage assessment and recovery operations for once containment holds.
How to Help
Crews continue working to hold containment lines through the remainder of July as heat and wind threaten renewed fire growth. To support the response, visit the Babylon Fire disaster page for a full list of responding organizations and donation links, or browse the Relief Directory or organization directory for other ways to help communities recover from disasters across the country.
