SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The 370 structures burned in Utah wildfires so far this year is more than the previous five years combined and the most in the last 15 years.
The Deseret News reports data from the National Interagency Coordination Center says structures lost to Utah wildfires in the last five years combined would not reach a third of the devastation seen this year.
Wildfires in Utah destroy an average of about 49 structures a year. But dry conditions and one devastating wildfire in Dollar Ridge that has consumed 363 structures have made 2018 stand out.
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Utah Division of Forestry spokesman Jason Curry says the conditions are due to a low snowpack during the winter that has led to an extreme drought.