ST. GEORGE — As summer ushers in dry air, yellowing grasses and high temperatures, what do Southern Utahns need to know about fire restrictions on public lands?

St. George News contacted the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Utah Division of State Parks and Zion National Park, among others, for the official word.

Those camping on land stewarded by the BLM or other federal agencies can build a campfire if complying with current restrictions. As of June 1, it is a closed burn season in Utah, said Paula Imlay, a fire prevention specialist and public information officer with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.

“If you have a campfire in your backyard, you can have it for cooking — so roasting hot dogs, marshmallows, stuff like that,” she said. “But you can’t do debris burning or anything.”

Additionally, as of July 3, the BLM and State Fire Managers implemented Stage 1 fire restrictions on all unincorporated state and private land in Washington, Iron and Beaver counties, according to a news release issued by Utah Interagency Fire.  Areas in Kane County below the Dixie Nation Forest boundary also have Stage 1 restrictions in effect.

The release states the announcement is due to “rapidly increasing fire danger.”

“July through September are typically the driest and hottest months of the year. This year’s outlook is no different,” said Southwest Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands Fire Management Officer Dave Harmon in the release. “Because of the higher-than-average spring precipitation, there is more grass on Utah’s landscapes. On windy days, wildfires have the potential to become larger because there’s more available fuel.”

With Stage 1 restrictions in place, here is what Southern Utahns need to know:

• Campfires and open fires are prohibited outside agency-improved and maintained campgrounds and homesites.
• Homesites and cabins are required to have running water on unincorporated land.
• Devices fueled by liquid petroleum are allowed
• Shooting exploding targets or tracer ammunition is disallowed
• Cutting, grinding or welding metal near dry vegetation is prohibited — including with acetylene torches.
• Equipment cannot be used without working and properly maintained spark arrestors where required.
• Smoking near vegetation or outside developed recreation sites, personal vehicles or buildings is disallowed.

“Please be aware that fire restrictions will be slightly different among agencies and these restrictions do not apply to incorporated cities,” the release states. “Please check the specific fire restrictions with the respective land management agency before visiting.”

While a campfire can “be one of the best parts of camping,” it’s essential to maintain and extinguish it to prevent wildfires, said the U.S. Forest Service’s Smokey Bear.

Campers shouldn’t cut trees or branches to create campfires as live materials don’t burn well, and dead standing trees, or snags, provide homes for birds and other wildlife.

Campers should avoid burning dangerous items, such as aerosol cans, pressurized containers, or glass or aluminum cans, which can explode, shatter or create “harmful fumes or dust,” Smokey Bear states. Fires shouldn’t be left unattended, and adults should supervise nearby pets and children.

To extinguish a fire, individuals should: let it burn to ash, if possible; pour water over it, drowning all embers, until a hissing sound is no longer heard; or bury it using dirt or sand if water is unavailable. The area should be cool to the touch.

“Remember: If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave,” writes Smokey Bear, who walks through the steps of extinguishing a campfire in the YouTube video below.

Grand Canyon National Park is in stage 1 fire restrictions year-round, requiring campfires to remain in designated fire rings within a maintained campground, according to the park’s website. Open fires are prohibited below the canyon’s rim, so backcountry hikers must rely on gas stoves.

While campfires are currently allowed at Glen Canyon in established campgrounds, they must be built in rings below the high-water mark and only in areas devoid of vegetation, the Utah Interagency Fire release states.

Open fires of any kind are prohibited in Zion National Park, according to the release. However, campers can build campfires in agency-improved and maintained sites near Lava Point.

Visitors should check with a ranger to ensure there are no other fire restrictions. Additionally, the park’s Public Affairs Specialist Jonathan Shafer said fires are prohibited in Zion Wilderness.

As temperatures rise, Zion staff will continue to work with interagency partners to set restrictions as needed and manage their wildfire response, Shafer added.

Campfire restrictions for state parks are issued by the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands or other municipal fire authorities, and currently, no additional limitations have been put in place for any of Utah’s state parks, said Devan Chavez, the Utah Division of State Parks’ spokesperson.

If restrictions are issued, the division will announce the change as soon as possible on individual parks’ websites or social media pages, Chavez said, adding that visitors can also check for current information on the state parks’ fire restrictions webpage.

General fire restrictions for state parks include only lighting or maintaining fires in designated camping or picnic areas or other places with a permit. Campfires should be confined to the fireplaces or grills provided or stoves and lanterns that use gasoline, propane or similar fuels, according to the Utah Office of Administrative rules.

Leaving fires unattended is prohibited and they must be extinguished when not in use. State park visitors are prohibited from throwing or dropping burning material or lit cigarettes, the rules state.

Beginning on Thursday, the Coconino National Forest and the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest in Arizona were placed under Stage 1 fire and smoking restrictions, which prohibit “fires, campfires, charcoal, coal and woodstoves” outside of developed recreation sites, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Forest Service.

Smoking is prohibited outside enclosed vehicles, buildings or a developed recreation site, the release states.

Devices fueled by pressurized liquid petroleum or liquid petroleum gas fuels that can be turned on and off are allowed in barren areas or those where all overhead and surrounding flammable materials have been cleared within 3 feet of the device.

Additional restrictions could be set based on conditions and will typically remain in effect until the area “receives significant, widespread precipitation,” Forest Service staff wrote. Some areas have restrictions year-round, including the Flagstaff area, Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon, areas in West Sedona and Pumphouse Wash.

Open or recreational burning

Open burning of trash, waste material and construction or yard waste is prohibited in Cedar City, including city-owned recreation areas, such as Thunderbird Gardens, and doing so is a Class B misdemeanor, according to the city’s website.

Recreational cooking is allowed if the fire is small and designated for cooking food. Noncommercial barbecues are exempt. Large recreational fires, such as bonfires or pig roasts, require a permit from the Cedar City Fire Department. Both small and large fires must meet the size and other requirements outlined on the city’s website.

In St. George, recreational burning must be confined to a firepit, portable fireplace or barrel, and must meet the requirements outlined in this document issued by former St. George Fire Marshall Kevin Tayler. Individuals will need to obtain a permit and inspection to light a bonfire, and burning garbage is prohibited.

“If conditions are not favorable to open burning, such as hot and dry or windy conditions, the fire must be extinguished immediately,” Taylor wrote. “Keep an eye on changing conditions.”

Open burn permits are unavailable until September in Washington, Kane, Iron, Garfield and Beaver counties, according to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker said permits are not required for recreational fires, describing these blazes as being small and for roasting hot dogs, marshmallows or similar uses.

Additionally, Southern Utahns should “recreate responsibly” and use their “fire sense” while outdoors, added Jacqueline Russell, a public information specialist with the BLM’s Color Country District.

Imlay suggests people avoid parking over dry grass, ensure motorcycles and off-road vehicles are fitted with spark arresters and that they use properly secured safety chains when towing.

Additionally, Shafer reminded visitors to ensure their trailers and RVs are properly maintained, including the vehicle’s tire pressure.

“Being fire-aware helps prevent wildfires, keep families safe, and reduces unnecessary risk to firefighters,” Russell wrote.

So far this year, over 160 fires have burned 1,500 acres, with 61 being human-caused, Imlay said.

“We’ve kind of got a slow start to fire season this year,” Imlay said. “But we definitely don’t want people to get complacent and think that it’s not going to happen because it very well could with our fuel.”

Fireworks

Fireworks are illegal on all of Utah’s unincorporated lands, whether state, federal or privately owned, Imlay said. They also are prohibited on all Arizona national forest and state lands, according to the forest service.

Class “C” fireworks can be sold from June 24 to July 25 this summer and discharged in designated areas within cities between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. or until midnight on July 2-5 and July 22-25, according to the Utah Fire Marshall’s website.

However, cities may place additional restrictions on dates and hours.

Some Class “C” fireworks are considered “dangerous explosives,” such as firecrackers, cannon crackers, ground salutes, M-80s or cherry bombs, and cannot be legally sold or used in Utah.

Should a Southern Utahn see someone using fireworks illegally, they should call their local sheriff’s office, Imlay said.

“If they see something, say something … because we want to keep the wild out of fire this year,” she said.

To view a list of banned fireworks, municipal restrictions and other information about celebrating in Southern Utah, see this companion St. George News article.

For more information about statewide fire restrictions, visit the Utah Fire Marshall’s website or the Utah Fire Info website.

Updated, July 3, 1:27 p.m., to include an announcement of additional fire restrictions on Sunday.

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