BLM High Desert District announces stage 1 fire restrictions

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo.— Due to increased fire danger, Stage 1 Fire Restrictions will begin Wednesday, Aug. 13, in Teton, Sublette, Lincoln, Uinta, Sweetwater, Fremont, Carbon, Albany, and Laramie counties. 

The following acts are prohibited under Stage 1 fire restrictions:

• Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire or campfire, except within agency-provided fire grates at developed recreation sites; fully enclosed stoves with a ¼-inch spark-arrestor screen; fully enclosed grills; or stoves using pressurized liquid or gas.
• Smoking, except inside an enclosed vehicle or building, at a developed recreation site, or while stopped in a barren area at least three feet in diameter that is cleared of all flammable materials.
• Operating a chainsaw without a USDA- or SAE-approved spark arrester properly installed and working, a chemical fire extinguisher with a capacity of at least eight ounces by weight, and one round-point shovel at least 36 inches long.
• Using a welder, either arc or gas, or operating an acetylene or other open-flame torch, except in cleared areas at least 10 feet in diameter with a chemical pressurized fire extinguisher of at least eight ounces.

These restrictions are in addition to the year-round wildfire prevention restrictions on BLM-administered public lands in Wyoming, which prohibit:

• Discharging or using fireworks.
• Discharging a firearm with incendiary or tracer ammunition.
• Burning, igniting or causing to burn any tire, wire, magnesium or other hazardous or explosive material.
• Operating an off-road vehicle on public lands without a properly installed spark arrester, as required by 43 CFR 8343.1(c).
• Using or discharging explosives, incendiary devices, pyrotechnic devices or exploding targets.

For more information on BLM fire restrictions or conditions, contact your local BLM office or go to www.blm.gov/wyoming-fire-restrictions.