What can Southern Utah expect from this year’s wildfire season?

ST. GEORGE — With abundant fuels following a wet winter and the dry conditions around the corner, what do Southern Utahns need to know about the 2023 wildfire season?

A firefighter walks in from of a burning conifer, date and location unspecified | Photo courtesy of Nickolas Howell, St. George News

Two regional fire managers say it’s a two-part answer.

“Over the winter and even most of the spring, we’ve actually received quite a bit of precipitation, which really took us out of that severe drought condition and elevated us to more of a moderate drought condition,” said Nickolas Howell, fire mitigation and education specialist with Bureau of Land Management’s Color Country District.

“That’s been a blessing and a possible problem in the near future,” BLM Arizona Strip District Fire Management Officer Ty Mizer said at a May media event in St. George.

Howell told St. George News that because of the precipitation, vegetation is thriving. However, it has also been a boon for invasive grasses, like cheatgrass, which dries quickly in the summer heat.

“Everything dries out really fast, especially on a really hot, dry, windy day,” he said. “You have a couple of weeks in those conditions — it really doesn’t take much to throw us into fire season.

Cheatgrass grows near wildflowers in the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, St. George, Utah, May 14, 2023 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

“As we continue the drying trend and as temperatures continue to increase, we definitely expect more fire activity into the summer … because there’s more grass and it’s really continuous.”

Current forecasts from the Great Basin Coordination Center indicate a normal or below-normal potential for significant wildland fires throughout the summer in most areas in the Great Basin region, with some lower-elevation areas of Northern Utah and Nevada and parts of Idaho potentially experiencing above-normal conditions in July and August.

Mizer added that Southern Utahns could expect below-average conditions through June with “fewer starts, smaller fires.”

While not heading into the fire season “super hot and dry,” Howell said fire agencies still expect to be “really busy” as multiple fires have broken out along travel corridors.

Wildfire resources

Officials from various agencies pose for a photo after discussing 2023’s wildfire outlook at Above View LLC., St. George, Utah, May 25, 2023 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

As fire danger rises, so do the fire agencies’ planning levels, which changes how crews respond, Mizer said. Higher risk means more resources dedicated to an initial attack.

Region fire crews work at an interagency level, added Josh Tibbetts, a fire management officer with the BLM’s Color Country District.

“We don’t care what color the dirt is — whose responsibility it is — we all share that responsibility to (initially) attack wildfires,” he said. “So we work on what we call a ‘closest forces concept,’ when it comes to response — whichever engine, crew (or) helicopter is closest to the incident — that’s what’s gonna get dispatched to it regardless of whose jurisdiction it is.”

The Moki Helitak helicopter, a BLM resource based on the Arizona Strip and dispatched out of the Color Country Dispatch Center in Cedar City, responds to incidents in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah, Mizer said.

The Moki Helitak team poses for a photo at Above View LLC., St. George, Utah, May 25, 2023 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

Dixie National Forest staffed five fire engines and has four additional squads and a Type 1 helicopter. The Arizona BLM has five engines, one water tender and a Type 3 helicopter — the Moki Helitak aircraft, Tibbetts said. The National Park Service contributes two engines, and Utah Forestry, Fire and State Lands has six engines and will have a Type 1 helicopter starting June 1.

The BLM Color Country District and the Utah Paria River District have 10 engines, a water tender and a dozer. BLM will have two single-engine air tankers staffed and an air tactical platform. Additionally, the interagency program pulls local resources from various other partners, Tibbets said.

“We couldn’t do it all on our own for each individual agency,” he said. “And so doing it from an interagency standpoint and putting all of our resources together and meet that overall goal of safely suppressing wildfires is what we do … As the season progresses, you’ll see kind of that ebb and flow of resources coming and going into the different stations — different areas of the state depending on where the need is.”

Moki Helitak’s Type 3 helicopter, St. George, Utah, May, 2023 | Photo courtesy of ​Rachel Carnahan/Bureau of Land Management’s Arizona Strip District, St. George News

As wildfires grow, more aviation assets are utilized, said Kevin Greenhalgh, a fire management officer with the Dixie National Forest and Pine Valley Ranger District.

“One of the things that is key to us is maintaining a safe flying environment,” he said.

The air tactical platform is a “mobile, small-space airspace coordinator.” They coordinate where various aircraft work to ensure fire agencies are “efficient and effective,” Greenhalgh said.

The public should avoid flying drones near wildfires, he added.

“If we have drones intrude on our airspace, we will shut everything down,” Greenhalgh said. “So that eliminates any of the support to the firefighters, allows those fire the potential to get larger — get farther out away from us — so we just ask, especially those drone operators, the recreational folks out there — you see a fire, just stay away … Remember, if you fly, we can’t.”

An Erickson Aero Tanker drops fire retardant over a wildfire in Springville, Utah, Aug. 1, 2022 | Photo by Kristin Murphy/The Deseret News via The Associated Press, St. George News

Greenhalgh suggests drone operators check the Federal Aviation Administration’s B4UFLY app before heading to a location to ensure there are no flight restrictions in the area.

Violating flight restrictions is a federal and state offense, resulting in up to a $20,000 fine and several years in jail, “depending on the severity of the intrusion,” he said.

Like drones, firefighting aircraft fly at low altitudes, typically a few hundred feet above the ground, according to the FAA. So when unmanned aerial devices and aviation assets share airspace, the potential for midair collisions that could cause a “serious or fatal accident” increases.

Additionally, if a drone loses its communication link, it could fall from the sky, “causing serious injuries or deaths of firefighters or members of the public on the ground,” the agency states.

Preventing wildfires

Fire agencies have noticed human-caused trends over the last few years, and most blazes in Southern Utah occur along travel corridors, such as major highways and Interstate 15, Howell said.

Smoke billows into the clouds during the Blue Spring Fire, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Nickolas Howell, St. George News

Many fires are vehicle-related, so to avoid igniting one, Howell suggests individuals pulling trailers are towing within their capacity, and ensure the chains, which can create sparks when dragged, are properly adjusted and not dragging.

Blown tires can start wildfires when the hot metal inside comes into contact with dry vegetation, Howell said, adding that vehicles should be properly maintained as catalytic converters can also cause fires.

Recreators should avoid target shooting near dry vegetation and make sure all campfires are extinguished, Howell said. Those planning to camp should pack water, a bucket to gather water and a shovel.

“Take those preparedness measures to ensure that when you leave your campfire, it doesn’t start back up when it gets windy a day or two after,” Howell said.

Additionally, those using off-road vehicles, chainsaws, generators or similar machines should ensure they’re outfitted with spark arresters. Before heading out, Utahns and tourists should check current fire restrictions and pack a fire extinguisher, Zion National Park Fire Management Officer Lyndsay Fonger said.

Firefighters work at Coopers Knoll, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Nickolas Howell, St. George News

The Utah Fire Sense program began in April 2021, following a “pretty crazy season,” said Utah Forestry, Fire and State Lands Prevention and Communications Coordinator Kayli Guild. In 2020, there were over 830 human-caused fires and the program’s goal was to reduce that number to approximately 800.

“We blew it out of the water … it dropped drastically,” she said. “It was just under 500 wildfires.”

For more information about fire safety and prevention, individuals can visit the Utah Fire Sense website.

People can use Utah Wildfire Info’s website to avoid current fires or report them and Inciweb to see a nationwide map of current incidents.

The video above features clips from the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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