Fire Danger Prompts Elevated Fire Restrictions in Southeastern Utah

Southeastern Utah is experiencing hazardous fire conditions due to prolonged drought and extremely dry vegetation. Weather forecasts and wildland fire prediction models point to increased fire danger. As a result, on Thursday, June 2, 2022, all Bureau of Land Management (BLM), USDA Forest Service (USDA FS), National Park Service (NPS), State of Utah and unincorporated private lands in the following areas will increase fire restrictions:

• State lands and unincorporated private lands in Grand and San Juan counties.
• BLM Moab and Monticello field office areas located in Grand and San Juan counties.
• NPS including Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, and Natural Bridges and Hovenweep National Monuments.
• USDA FS Moab and Monticello ranger districts of the Manti-La Sal National Forest, areas within Grand and San Juan counties in Utah, and Mesa and Montrose counties in Colorado.

New restriction orders supersede previous restriction orders for participating agencies and will be in place until the fire hazard subsides. Maps and specific information about the restrictions may be found at: https://utahfireinfo.gov/fire-restrictions/.

Fire restriction orders are specific to each agency and may contain different stipulations, but all the orders have the following prohibited acts in common:

1. No campfires (wood or charcoal) anywhere, including designated campgrounds.
2. No smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area that is paved, barren, or cleared to mineral soil.
3. No metal cutting, welding, or grinding activities in areas of dry vegetation.
4. No discharging or using any kind of fireworks, steel tipped/core ammunition, tracer ammunition or other pyrotechnic devices including exploding targets.
5. Permissible acts – using devices fueled by petroleum or liquid propane gas (LPG) with a shut-off valve is allowed in areas clear of flammable vegetation within three feet of the device.

For more information about fire restrictions (including the orders from each agency), wildfires, fire prevention, and fuels treatment projects, please visit www.utahfireinfo.gov. Always extinguish campfires, dispose of cigarettes properly, stay on roads and trails to avoid dry vegetation, and ensure trailer chains do not drag or create sparks. Fire sense is common sense.

Original source can be found here.