SALT LAKE CITY — Fire restrictions will be expanded over the weekend and will now cover all state and unincorporated land in Utah.
The Stage 1 Fire Restrictions will take effect on Saturday, and also covers all Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service-managed public lands, and all Forest Service lands in Utah. The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache, Ashley, and Sawtooth National Forests which are not included in the restrictions.
The restrictions come after numerous wildfires have been sparked across the state over the last few weeks. On June 1, the Utah Bureau of Land Management implemented restrictions for state and unincorporated private lands in Washington, Kane and Garfield counties.
“Our forests and rangelands at all elevations are drying out quickly, making it easier for wildfires to ignite and spread—especially on windy days,” said Brett Ostler with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands.
During the current season, 380 wildfires have burned more than 43,000 acres in the state. Of those wildfires, 275 were human-caused.
Activities prohibited during Stage 1 Restrictions:
- Campfires, open fires not allowed outside of approved campgrounds and homesites with running water.
- Fireworks, pyrotechnics banned outsidecity limits and on public lands, with fireworks prohibited on federally managed lands.
- Shooting of exploding targets or tracer ammunition is not permitted.
- Metalworking (cutting, grinding, welding) in dry vegetation areas is prohibited.
- Operating equipment without a spark arrestor- including a motorcycle, chainsaw, ATV, or other small internal combustion engine.
- Smoking near vegetation or outside of developed recreation sites, personal vehicles, or buildings is not allowed.
One area of Utah, the Watchman Campground in Zion National Park, has moved to Stage 2 restrictions. No open fires of any kind are allowed in the park in general, and specifically campfires and charcoal fires within Watchman, South Campground, or picnic areas in Zion Canyon.
