SALT LAKE CITY — Utah State Forester Jamie Barnes signed an emergency order on Friday night enacting a ban on personal fireworks for the entire state, citing explosive wildfire danger.
"As a result of the unprecedented drought that is worsening under current conditions, I determine all areas within the State of Utah qualify as 'extremely hazardous conditions' under the National Fire Danger Rating System requiring restrictions and/or limitations on certain human activities," she wrote in the order shared with FOX 13 News.
Governor Spencer Cox announced the emergency action on Thursday as part of his executive order in the face of massive wildfires across Utah. Entire communities have been threatened. The Iron Fire which forced the evacuation of the entire town of Eureka, authorities believe, was sparked by illegal fireworks. Municipal leaders were fearful that with the Fourth of July approaching, communities would be threatened across Utah.
Gov. Cox and cities have complained that with such dangerous conditions and firefighting resources stretched to their limit, their hands were tied by existing state laws. Gov. Cox was prohibited from issuing a ban and cities could only enact restrictions on personal fireworks, not bans unless they were entirely within wildland urban interface areas. As FOX 13 News first reported on Thursday, the governor found a workaround by declaring a state of emergency for wildfires, then suspending that law under the emergency order.
That allows Barnes to issue the fireworks ban and she enabled communities to decide whether to allow personal fireworks within designated areas. Barnes' formal order gives communities until 5pm on June 30 to notify her of their decisions.
Some cities FOX 13 News has spoken with have accepted the all-out ban. All cities within Salt Lake County, Utah's most populous county, have done so. Other communities like Spanish Fork, St. George and Castle Dale, have designated areas they will allow residents to set off personal fireworks — with supervision.
Read the order here:
