CEDAR CITY, UTAH (KUTV) — At times in 2025, the Cedar City Air Base has been the busiest in the country with aircraft refueling and reloading to help with wildfire suppression around the region.
“The tanker base is currently supporting three different geographic areas – the Great Basin, Southwest, and Rocky Mountain,” said Blake Johnson, Fire Public Affairs Specialist for Bureau of Land Management – Utah.
From July 7-13, airtankers were loaded with 146 times with fire retardant totaling roughly 360,000 gallons.
According to BLM Utah, the loads were for aircraft working eight different fires in the region during that week span.
Within the last few days, aircraft from Cedar City worked numerous fires in Utah including the Gap Fire (near Scipio), Monroe Canyon Fire (near Monroe) and the White Sage Fire (near Fredonia, Arizona).
According to BLM-Utah, the CDC Air Base is the only large airtanker and multi-functional base in the southern part of the Great Basin Geographic Area. The other closest large airtanker bases are:
Prescott Air Base (South)
Reno-Stead (West)
Battle Mountain (Northwest)
Hill Air Force Base (North)
Grand Junction (East)
“The CDC Air Base plays a crucial role in protecting surrounding communities, wildlife, and natural resources from the devastating impacts of wildfires, showcasing the invaluable role of such facilities in safeguarding public safety and ecological balance,” said BLM-Utah.