Fire restrictions set to cease for BLM in central, southwest Utah
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SOUTHWESTERN UTAH — On Sunday at 8:00 a.m., the Bureau of Land Management’s Color Country and Paria River districts will rescind the fire bans put in place months ago across Bureau of Land Management public lands in Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, Wayne, Washington, Iron, Beaver, Garfield and Kane counties.
“While we had an unheard of number of human caused fires this year, we also had an enormous amount of support and conscientious recreationists who checked Utah Fire Info’s website or called ahead before visiting,” said acting Color Country District Manager Paul Briggs. “Just as most people did their part, we will continue to do ours, by working with our partners in the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative to help restore habitats to a state that are naturally more fire resistant.”
Statewide, Utah has experienced a very active 2020 wildfire season and even though fire restrictions are being reduced across both the Color Country and Paria River Districts, fire managers cautiously emphasize that the potential for large and rapid-growing fires is still present.
“This has been an unprecedented wildfire season both locally and across our nation,” said District Acting Fire Management Officer Clair Jolley. “But vigilance and responsible recreation are crucial to preventing any additional wildfires this year.”
This fire season, Color Country fire managers issued multiple fire prevention orders outlining fire restrictions in southwest and central Utah. Effective Sunday, Nov. 1, those fire restriction orders will be rescinded.
“The rescission of these orders doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods,” said Paria River District Manager Harry Barber. “The threat of another wildfire remains and we must be cognizant that there are still year-round restrictions in place across all public lands. As these restrictions may vary, visitors should always check with local authorities to verify what restrictions remain in place throughout the year.”
For more information on preventing unwanted human caused wildfires, visit utahfireinfo.gov or on Twitter @UtahWildfire. For more information about the benefits of landscape-scale habitat restoration, visit Utah’s Watershed Restoration Initiative at https://wri.utah.gov/wri/.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.