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Air Quality & Wildfire News — June 27, 2026

Canairy · 3 min read · 2026-06-27

Hot, dry, windy weather across the West is driving wildfire activity and prompting precautions ahead of the July Fourth holiday. Here's what was reported today, with links to every source.

Utah declares emergency as the largest U.S. wildfire grows

Utah restricted fireworks and declared a state of emergency Friday ahead of July Fourth as the Cottonwood Fire — the largest wildfire currently burning in the U.S. — expanded across southern Utah. The fire, which started Monday, had grown to more than 112 square miles by Friday and was at 0% containment, CBS News reports. Strong winds clocked at 45 mph grounded air tankers and helicopters, and the National Weather Service issued a rare "Particularly Dangerous Situation" warning.

Smoke has mostly pushed east and northeast, so air quality at Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks — south of the flames — hasn't been significantly affected beyond some haze near Bryce, though the plume was visible as far as Colorado. In the town of Marysvale, ash fell and thick smoke blocked the sun. With dry, windy conditions across the West, it's a sensible week to keep an eye on local air quality and fire restrictions before lighting anything.

A Saharan dust plume is headed for North Texas

A plume of Saharan dust is expected to move into the Dallas-Fort Worth area early next week, bringing hazy skies and elevated fine-particulate levels, The Dallas Morning News reports. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality forecasts the denser part of the plume arriving Monday, with particulate levels reaching the middle-to-upper "moderate" range and some areas possibly touching "unhealthy for sensitive groups" on Tuesday before improving.

The dust is likely to appear as widespread haze rather than a visible wall, and according to the report, children, older adults and people with asthma, allergies or heart conditions are most likely to be affected when particulate levels rise. If you're in that group, next week is a good time to check the forecast before long stretches outdoors.

Big Bear faces power shutoffs to lower wildfire risk

Thousands of Big Bear residents faced a series of precautionary power safety shutoffs starting Friday and continuing through Sunday because of high wildfire risk from warm weather and strong winds, CBS News reports. Bear Valley Electric Service, which serves roughly 22,000 residents, said two transmission lines operated by Southern California Edison could be de-energized to prevent a line malfunction from sparking a fire.

Officials advised residents to conserve power when service was on, use surge protectors, keep refrigerators and freezers closed, and prepare emergency kits. Precautionary shutoffs like these are a common tool for reducing ignition risk during dangerous fire weather.

Sources

Canairy aggregates publicly reported air-quality and wildfire news and summarizes it in plain English, with links to the original sources. This is educational information, not medical or emergency advice. In a wildfire or air-quality emergency, follow guidance from local authorities.