Eagle Point Resort Destroyed by Cottonwood Fire as Utah Blaze Tops 59,000 Acres

Eagle Point Resort has confirmed catastrophic structural losses after the Cottonwood Fire swept through its Tushar Mountains terrain, leaving the Lower Lodge destroyed and the resort closed indefinitely.

The human-caused blaze ignited near Beaver, Utah at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Monday 22 June, close to Mile Marker 5 on State Route 153. It consumed roughly 10,000 acres within its first seven hours. By Tuesday night it had tripled to more than 31,000 acres. As of Wednesday morning, officials placed the fire at 59,613 acres with zero percent containment.

Resort owner Shane Gadbaw confirmed the extent of the damage in a public statement: "There has been significant property loss for local owners and the resort. Eagle Point will be closed for a considerable time to recover from the catastrophe. Once we can safely return to Eagle Point to assess the extent of the damage, we will share a detailed update with the public."

What Has Been Destroyed

Eagle Point Resort operates two base areas: Canyonside on the lower mountain and Skyline on the upper mountain. The Lower Lodge at the Canyonside base area has been confirmed destroyed, along with several adjacent condominium buildings. Ongoing evacuation orders have prevented any assessment of the upper mountain terrain, and the full extent of structural losses remains unknown pending a damage assessment expected no earlier than Thursday.

Mandatory evacuation orders remain active for Eagle Point, Merchant Valley, HiLo Estates, and Arrowhead Summer Homes. State Route 153 is closed in both directions between Mile Markers 2 and 25. Rocky Mountain Power has de-energised all power lines in the affected area as part of efforts to slow the fire's advance.

A Resort With Deep Community Roots

Eagle Point has operated in the Tushar Mountains since the 1970s and is one of Utah's independently owned ski areas. Nathan Rafferty, president of Ski Utah, described the loss in stark terms: "An independent mountain and genuine community pillar, Eagle Point is a source of recreation, livelihoods, and local identity for the region it calls home. The impact of this fire will be felt across Beaver County and throughout the Utah ski industry."

Utah Governor Spencer Cox toured the area on Wednesday and described the Cottonwood Fire as potentially the most destructive in state history. Cox said fire resources across the state have been stretched to their limits, and that he had never seen crews as concerned about conditions as they are this week.

Fire Conditions and Weekend Weather Risk

Investigators have confirmed the fire is human-caused, though the precise origin remains under investigation. A Great Basin Incident Management Team assumed command Wednesday morning. FEMA has approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant covering 75% of eligible firefighting costs.

Weather may offer partial relief before conditions deteriorate further. Storm activity Wednesday carries the potential for rain over the fire zone - but the same system is expected to bring lightning and erratic winds. The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather watch for the majority of Utah from Friday afternoon through Saturday evening, with a cold front forecast to push sustained winds of 20 to 30 km/h through the region and gusts potentially reaching 80 km/h. Officials warn the Cottonwood Fire could spread rapidly under those conditions.

Utah's Fire Season Accelerating Sharply

The Cottonwood Fire has pushed Utah's 2026 fire season into record territory. As of Wednesday, more than 135,000 acres have burned across the state this year - up from just 13,300 acres as of 17 June. That represents a tenfold increase in a single week. The 2026 season has already recorded the second-highest acreage burned since 2021, trailing only last year's nearly 165,000 acres. State fire officials note that at least three-quarters of this year's fires have been human-caused.

More than 300 homes across Beaver and Piute counties face ongoing threat. A network of forest roads and trails across Fishlake National Forest is closed under an order effective from noon Wednesday.