FARMINGTON, Utah — High winds and low humidity aren’t the best combination for a prescribed burn.
Officials with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (FFSL) said the conditions are why Wednesday's prescribed burn at Farmington Bay was canceled.
“This cancellation shows how seriously we take safety. Prescribed fires are one of our best tools to reduce wildfire risk. But it’s only under those right conditions,” said Kayli Guild, a fire prevention communications coordinator with FFSL.
Going into what could potentially be a tough summer, Guild said they try to protect the communities in one way by doing these prescribed burns.
Local fire departments see the importance of the burns, and so do the residents.
“The amount of smoke that comes off of the phragmites out west is always concerning, and our dispatch center becomes inundated with all of the phone calls,” said Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Larsen with South Davis Metro Fire.
Larsen said the cancellation is just another example of how volatile these winds could get at any moment. That’s one thing they’re preparing for this summer.
“Our fear, our concern is that wind-driven fire that will jeopardize or compromise many homes on the east side of our protected area,” Larsen said.
He said all their firefighters are trained for these conditions. Unfortunately, those conditions might be seen more often in the coming months.
“This year, going into summer, it’s kind of like, I hope we all follow the precautions that we have within our control,” Jenn Rodgers said as she birdwatched with her friends in Farmington.
Others in the community agreed that it’s important to take the right precautions.
“Even simple things, like having to do fireworks because it’s part of our tradition, they can lead to these issues where all of a sudden, thousands and thousands of acres burn down and ruins it for everybody,” said Hayden Witt, a Bountiful resident.
When it comes to burning the phragmites or other brush and grass, officials typically do it in the spring when there’s more moisture. It can create breaks and help slow or stop potential wildfires. Because of the weather, they might have missed their last chance to do it safely.
“Because we have seen such elevated heat and the drying. We don’t have our recoveries. Our relative humidity is not doing well. We don’t have humidity in the air to help us. That’s where we are with this,” Guild said.
Just one spark could make a big difference, so Guild advised everyone to pay attention and take the proper precautions as we head into the summer.
