WEBER COUNTY, Utah — State and federal officials are reminding Utahns to be responsible with campfires after a U.S. Forest Service worker had to extinguish several abandoned campfires in a single day.
The U.S. Forest Service wrote in a Facebook post that a fire prevention technician in the Ogden Ranger District of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest put out nine abandoned campfires on Sunday.
Some of the fires "had good potential for escaping into the grass and brush," the Forest Service said — "especially the ones with trash on top of them that could easily ignite and blow into the grass."
The Forest Service gives the following tips for properly putting out a campfire before leaving it:
- First, drown the campfire with water!
- Next, mix the ashes and embers with soil. Scrape all partially-burned sticks and logs to make sure all the hot embers are off them.
- Stir the embers after they are covered with water and make sure that everything is wet.
- Feel the coals, embers, and any partially-burned wood with your hands. Everything (including the rock fire ring) should be cool to the touch. Feel under the rocks to make sure no embers underneath.
- When you think you are done, take an extra minute and add more water.
- Finally, check the entire campsite for possible sparks or embers, because it only takes one to start a forest fire.
- Remember…if it is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave.
"Let’s protect our outdoors – pack in pack out and completely extinguish your campfires," officials wrote in Monday's Facebook post. "Without following those rules, you could have catastrophic consequences."
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Utah Wildfire Info, which is part of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands, echoed the message on Twitter and also shared photos of a few of the abandoned campfires.
#uwcnf Fire Prevention Tech, Ogden RD, extinguished 9 abandoned campfires 7/24, fires had potential for escaping into grass & brush especially ones with trash on top that could easily ignite and blow into grass. Please pack in pack out and completely extinguish your campfires. pic.twitter.com/uVE8eDbtAO
— Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) July 25, 2022