The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issued red flag warning Friday morning as emergency workers continued to battle one of the state’s largest wildfires in its history.

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The red flag warning, issued when critical fire warnings are occurring or imminent, was to be in place through midnight Saturday.

“This is the FIRST Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning issued in NWS Salt Lake City history. This is an exceptionally rare event,” the federal agency said in its warning.

A map of the area under the warning covered much of central and southwest Utah, with an area of the southwest, central and southern mountains also outlined as “particularly dangerous red flag.”

The particularly dangerous area includes the Cottonwood Fire, near the town of Beaver, which started Monday and had grown to covering almost nearly 71,000 acres by Thursday, 15 News reported. The fire forced evacuations.

The NWS warned that gusty winds and dry conditions would lead to rapid fire growth.

Utah also was dealing with the Iron Fire, which started June 19, and nearly destroyed the town of Eureka. The fire was about 27% contained Friday morning.

The fire danger led Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to issue executive order restricting fireworks statewide during the July 4 holiday, which marks the nation’s 250th birthday this year. The ban is in effect through July 5.

“Nothing about this decision was easy,” Cox said in a statement issued by his office Thursday.

“This is unlike anything we’ve seen in recent memory. We’re seeing fires spread farther and faster under conditions that defy historical expectations” Jamie Barnes, Utah state forester and director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, added in the statement.

Cox allowed cities and local communities to set aside areas where fireworks could be safely used. The city of Provo announced it would enforce a citywide prohibition on fireworks and would not designate a safe area for fireworks.

“This year is different,” Provo Mayor Marsha Judkins said in a statement. “The wildfire danger facing our community is real, and protecting lives, homes, and our natural spaces must come first.”

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Earlier this month, 2News Investigates brought you a former inmate’s federal lawsuit alleging Utah Department of Corrections leaders failed to address reports of alleged sexual assault by correctional officers. Now, 2News Investigates examines another key claim in that lawsuit.

MORE: Federal lawsuit alleges Utah prison leaders covered up guards’ sexual assaults on inmates

The lawsuit alleges a mass cross-gender strip-search operation – women being viewed by men was intended to further silence female inmates.

Federal law generally prohibits cross-gender strip searches of female inmates except during emergencies or when conducted by medical personnel. UDC says that during body-search procedures, male correctional officers are not allowed in the immediate area and inmate privacy is maintained. Former inmates say that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Three former inmates agreed to speak with 2News Investigates but asked that their identities not be revealed.

“It was very traumatic.”

According to the lawsuit, on May 13, 2025, UDC carried out a large-scale operation known as a “reset” in women’s housing units at the Utah State Correctional Facility (USCF) in Salt Lake City.

Wendy: “They call it a reset. What do you call it?”

“A violation.”

“It’s like a rape.”

The lawsuit alleges UDC Deputy Warden Derick Zorn and Warden Sharon D’Amico directed the operation, along with more than a dozen members of the Critical Incident Response Team, or CIRT.

According to the plaintiffs, officers stormed dormitories, shouted profanities, and issued conflicting commands.

The women say and the lawsuit states they were ordered to pack their belongings into totes and change into state-issued uniforms in front of male CIRT officers. They were then marched to the Emerald Building for processing.

“It felt almost like we were at a concentration camp.”

The lawsuit alleges the women were required to undergo body scans and then strip completely naked. Plaintiffs claim they were ordered to lift their breasts, spread their buttocks, and cough while visible to male staff.

Women who were menstruating allegedly were instructed to remove menstrual products in full view of others.

“Just use one hand to remove it. Hold it up in front of you.”

“I felt really small and worthless.”

The lawsuit alleges some women were forced to hold soiled menstrual pads while performing physical maneuvers.

“I just did what I was told. I just wanted to get it over with.”

The plaintiffs also claim they were required to sit on toilets or squat to provide urine samples while completely naked and visible to male officers.

“It was humiliating. It was degrading.”

The lawsuit further alleges cell doors were left open, exposing naked women to other inmates and male staff.

An overhead observation booth with reflective glass overlooked the strip-search area. Plaintiffs say they observed movement inside and believed they were being watched from above.

“I could see in the overhead, the two-way mirror. There were multiple men walking around up there who had direct vision inside those cells.”

The lawsuit alleges Captain Jared Beers and Lieutenant Matthew Coombs were inside the booth and that Deputy Warden Derick Zorn observed women in various states of undress.

“I made eye contact with Officer Arroyo, and I also saw Deputy Zorn.”

“I knew if I could see the male officers, they could see me.”

One former inmate described the experience as state-sanctioned sexual violence.

“When that happens, and you’ve gone through the same kind of thing as a child, it’s very traumatic.”

The lawsuit alleges Warden D’Amico knew male officers were viewing naked female inmates and “ratified, condoned, and failed to stop it.”

An allegation in the lawsuit filed on May 15, 2026

“You’re pretty much a hostage.”

UDC Executive Director Jared Garcia declined repeated requests for an on-camera interview. A letter sent said:

“During the body search process in female living areas, male correctional officers are not allowed in the immediate area, and privacy is maintained. In general, resets are conducted routinely, according to UDC policy and under strict protocols designed to ensure safety while also preserving the privacy and dignity of incarcerated individuals.”

“The manner matters.”

Walter Mason represents the plaintiffs.

He told 2News Investigates, “The law protects inmates from being exposed to members of the opposite sex viewing their naked bodies unless there’s an emergency. Unless there’s what the law calls an exigent circumstance, the prison can take necessary actions to protect safety. There was no emergency. There was no exigency.”

UDC says the reset involved approximately 150 trained staff members and was conducted according to department policy.

UDC’s letter goes on to say:

“Every effort was made to treat belongings with care and document confiscated items appropriately. UDC stands by our methods and policies, which are intended to maintain the highest standards of integrity, safety, and efficiency during the reset process.”

Written response from the Utah Department of Corrections regarding 2News investigations

I asked UDC whether any exigent circumstances existed on May 13, 2025, during the reset operation.

The response:

“No exigent circumstances occurred on May 13, 2025.”

I also requested information about what items were confiscated. UDC said it could not provide a specific list.

Response to questions posed by 2News Investigates to UDC regarding mass strip search and if exigent circumstances existed that day

The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and accuses the defendants, all supervisors, of participating in a “coordinated effort to humiliate, mock, and psychologically degrade the plaintiffs … operating with a brazen and intentional disregard for clearly established law, fueled by an institutional custom of impunity.”

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