This is your daily news rundown for Wednesday, June 24. In this edition:
- A wildfire near Beaver has grown rapidly, forcing evacuations
- Republicans pushed forward moderate incumbents in this year's primaries
- The pilot of a small plane died in a crash in Box Elder County on Tuesday
The Cottonwood Fire burned 55,000 acres in two days
The Cottonwood Fire near Beaver continues to grow rapidly.
In just two days, the human-caused fire exploded to over 55,000 acres. It’s threatening hundreds of homes as well as critical infrastructure and local utilities.
Crews have been unable to contain any of it so far, and officials expect that to continue to be the case because of the terrain.
The blaze forced mandatory evacuations for Eagle Point Resort, Merchant Valley, HiLo Estates, and Arrowhead Summer Homes.
Significant road and trail closures in the area are in effect until further notice.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a grant to fight the fire, saying it “threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major disaster."
Here are Republicans’ wins and losses at this year’s primary elections
Utah’s Republican primaries saw huge wins for moderate congressional candidates but losses for state lawmakers.
U.S. Reps. Blake Moore and Celeste Maloy both faced more conservative challengers in state Rep. Karianne Lisbonee and former lawmaker Phil Lyman respectively. The incumbents prevailed.
However, other incumbents were less lucky. The biggest loss was for Senate President Stuart Adams, who has been in the Utah Legislature for more than 20 years.
Criticism over his involvement in Box Elder County’s massive Stratos data center project dealt a major blow to his campaign. He conceded on Tuesday evening to challenger Stephanie Hollist.
Both Rep. Trevor Lee, known for his far-right views, and longtime Sen. Dan McCay also lost against primary challengers by a large margin.
Pilot dies in a plane crash in Box Elder County
The pilot of a small plane died in a crash near Willard Tuesday night.
The Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office located the wreckage with the help of the Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter.
Officials declared the pilot dead at the scene. He was the only person in the aircraft. His identity has been withheld while the next of kin is notified.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
