Smoke from Utah’s Cottonwood Fire blankets Farmington Wednesday morning

Smoke from Utah’s Cottonwood Fire drifted into Farmington Wednesday morning, dulling visibility across San Juan County and cooling parts of the Four Corners. Westerly winds pushed the haze out of southern Utah and into Southwest Colorado and northern New Mexico, where it was expected to linger through much of the day.

The fire was burning on the Beaver-Piute county line northeast of Cedar City and had grown to 59,613 acres by Wednesday morning, with containment still at 0%. It ignited Monday evening, June 22, and destroyed structures at Eagle Point Resort in southern Utah. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox was scheduled to give an update Wednesday afternoon as crews continued to confront the fire.

New Mexico health officials urged residents to use the 5-3-1 visibility method on smoky days. When visibility drops below 5 miles, children, older adults, pregnant women and people with heart or lung disease should reduce outdoor activity. Below 3 miles, those groups should stay inside. When visibility falls under 1 mile, everyone should stay indoors unless they are evacuating.

The New Mexico Department of Health recommends minimizing time outside and creating a clean indoor environment when smoke moves in. Residents watching conditions can track wildfire smoke and PM2.5 pollution through the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map, a tool from the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Forest Service. Air quality was expected to improve later in the day, though smoke could still affect northern and central New Mexico before thunderstorms bring some relief later Wednesday and Thursday.