ST. GEORGE – Due to recent dry conditions and high fire danger in Washington County Utah and northwest Arizona, Color Country Interagency Fire Managers are implementing Stage 1 fire restrictions beginning June 18 at 12 a.m.
The following describes the restrictions to be implemented by each fire management agency in Color Country:
Unincorporated privately-owned and all state-owned lands in Washington County (Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands):
The following acts will be prohibited until further notice:
- Setting, building, maintaining, attending or using open fire of any kind, except campfires and charcoal fires within agency approved fire pits and grills provided in developed recreation sites and picnic areas or at permanently improved places of habitation (contact Forestry, Fire and State Lands for further information). Devices fueled by petroleum or LPG products are allowed in all locations.
- Smoking except in enclosed vehicle or building, or a developed recreation site or cleared areas of a minimum of 3 feet in diameter down to mineral soil.
- Discharging, or using any kind of fireworks, tracer ammunition or other pyrotechnic devices.
- The cutting, welding or grinding of metal in areas of dry vegetation.
- Use of exploding targets that are detonated when struck by a projectile such as a bullet.
These restrictions do not apply to incorporated towns and cities except for state-owned lands within incorporated towns and cities. Please contact the local fire agency for any restrictions that may apply.
Dixie National Forest, Pine Valley Ranger District:
The following acts will be prohibited until further notice:
- Igniting, building, maintaining, or using a fire, including charcoal and briquettes, outside a fire structure that is provided by the Forest Service within a designated area. This includes all developed recreation sites – campgrounds and picnic areas – that are maintained and administered by the Forest Service, shown on the current Forest visitor maps, and have a permanent fire structure. Stoves or grills that are fueled solely by liquid petroleum fuels are allowed in all locations.
- Smoking outside an enclosed vehicle or building unless stopped in an area at least 3 feet in diameter that is clear of all flammable materials.
- Note that discharging, or using any kind of fireworks, tracer ammunition or other incendiary devices in any location on federal lands is always prohibited.
The National Park Service including Zion National Park, Pipe Spring National Monument:
The following acts will be prohibited until further notice:
- Igniting, building, maintaining, attending or using a fire outside a fire structure that is provided by the National Park Service within a designated area, such as agency-approved fire pits and grills provided for in developed recreation sites and picnic areas. Stoves or grills that are solely fueled by liquid petroleum fuels are allowed in all locations.
- Smoking outside an enclosed vehicle or building unless stopped in an area at least 3 feet in diameter that is clear of all flammable materials.
- Note that discharging, or using any kind of fireworks, tracer ammunition or other incendiary devices in any location on federal lands is always prohibited.
The following exceptions apply to Zion National Park only:
- Watchman Campground and South Campground in Zion National Park are closed to campfires and charcoal fires due to the abundance of highly flammable cheat grass. Stoves or grills that are solely fueled by liquid petroleum fuels are allowed in all locations.
- Bureau of Land Management: Color Country District: The following acts will be prohibited until further notice:
- No campfires, except in permanently constructed cement or metal fire pits provided in developed campgrounds and picnic areas.
- Grinding, cutting and welding metal.
- Operating or using any internal or external combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained and in effective working order.
- Detonation of fireworks and exploding targets/devices (Fire Prevention Order No. UT910-13-002).
The following exceptions apply to Color Country District BLM lands only:
- Devices fueled by petroleum or liquid petroleum gas are allowed in all locations.
- Charcoal burning in developed campgrounds or picnic grounds within permanent fire rings or grills constructed of metal or concrete is allowed. In undeveloped camping locations, charcoal must be set in metal pans in areas clear of flammable vegetation within 3-diameter-feet.
Bureau of Land Management: Arizona Strip District, including the NPS portion of the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument:
The following acts will be prohibited until further notice:
- Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire, charcoal, coal, or wood stove other than in a developed campsite or picnic areas of the Virgin River Campground and the Arizona side of the Stateline Campground. Persons using a device solely fueled by liquid petroleum or LPG fuels that can be turned on and off can only be used in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within 3 feet of the device.
- Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site/improved site or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
- Use of fireworks, flares, or other incendiary devices.
- Welding or the use of any torch or metal cutting equipment.
Bureau of Indian Affairs administered trust lands on the Shivwits Band and Kaibab Band Reservations:
The following acts will be prohibited until further notice:
- Igniting, building, maintaining, attending or using a fire outside a fire structure that is provided within a designated area, such agency-approved fire pits and grills provided for in developed recreation sites and picnic areas. Stoves or grills that are solely fueled by liquid petroleum fuels are allowed in all locations.
- Smoking outside an enclosed vehicle or building unless stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is clear of all flammable materials.
- Discharging, or using any kind of fireworks, tracer ammunition, or other incendiary devices in any location on federal lands.
Please check with the appropriate agency for additional details. For more information on fires in Utah check the UtahFireInfor.gov website.
Related posts
- County issues wildfire prevention reminder as fire season sets in
- Prepare for wildfire season, protect your home
- Wildfire training, 4 mock fire scenarios; STGnews videocast, photo gallery
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews
Anyone tell the bundy boys
Never been a problem
Why not include target practice? (Yes, the sacred cow.) How many fires were caused last year by ammo hitting a rock and causing a spark? As much as I hate to squelch someone’s recreational gun shooting, isn’t it just a tad more important not to burn down the neighbor’s house? Perhaps shooting should be restricted to cooler weather or an indoor range. Just sayin’….
How many fires were caused by ammo hitting a rock? Or how many were blamed on it? I think the BLM has a dice at their PR office, and when they don’t know the cause of a fire they roll the dice. 1, 2 or 3 and the fire was caused by target practice. 4, 5 or 6 and it was caused by ATV riders. I’m sure that some legitimately are caused by each of those activities, but there are so many times when they blame it on one of those with zero details as to why. Let’s face it, the BLM has a massive agenda, and they’ll use any excuse they can to achieve it, including inventing endangered species (again, some are legit, others not even close).
Target practice is “the” sacred cow? Hmmm, I did not know that.
Exploding targets can and do start fires. A fire could start so fast that the shooters would probably drive away instead of trying to put it out.
Sparks from a hitting a rock, I don’t think so. If so, I’m sure a couple of knuckleheads could stomp that out quickly.
You would think by now we wouldn’t need these yearly warnings. We live in a very arid region, much of it desert. People should know basic fire safety. Sadly, I’m sure some moron is going to start a fire through a thoughtless, careless act. Hopefully no one will die because of it. I have a feeling this will be a bad year for fires.
Of course, one of the biggest reasons our fire situation is out of control is the horrible forest management policies that have plagued our region for generations. The forests are overgrown and full of diseased trees.
A good example of this is Cedar Mountain. Strategic beetle spraying up there would have prevented so many dead pine trees, but the forest service refused (beetles have rights, too, ya know). So after the trees were all dead and there was a massive fire risk, a logging company on highway 89 offered to come in and remove the dead trees at their expense. The forest service said no. They offered to do it in the winter when there would be zero impact. The forest service said no. They offered to do it by helicopter. No. In the end, the trees sat there as a blight and fire danger. Now the tax payer has paid people year after year to cut and burn the wood at massive expense. Complete mismanagement bordering on criminal. My father-in-law visited the field office and suggested they should give free permits for wood cutting (which would have saved tax payers a lot of money). The guy about laid an egg. Nobody was getting free firewood in his kingdom.
We get it Brian, you hate the BLM. That does’nt change the fact that MOST fires are human caused, usually by some idiot doing something stupid.
It’s true that most fires are human caused, but that includes smoking, cooking, equipment failure, fireworks, carelessness with campfires, welding, etc, etc, etc. Yes, ATV’s and shooting are sure to be among those, but I doubt they’re high on the list, statistically speaking. But they’re the ones you hear about the most on the news because they fit the BLM agenda.
Most fires are caused by Mother Nature
But Seriously, you are so right. Last year I remember a fire official (don’t remember who) saying “You can’t regulate stupid”!
Brian,
How many fires were reported to have been caused by shooting last year? With one phone call I found the answer to that question- 3! In northern Utah, there seems to be more of a problem. And most of those incidents were accompanied by someone that said, “I was target shooting” when the fire started. Sorry I don’t see the agenda.
Consipracy Much?