< All Press Releases

CEDAR CITY, Utah — Beginning May 26, the Bureau of Land Management will implement fire restrictions to prevent losses from human-caused wildfires brought on by extreme drought, high fire danger conditions and the increased use of public lands in Washington, Kane, Garfield, Iron and Beaver counties.

Starting just after midnight, the fire restrictions will include multiple measures to help keep public lands safe and open as the risk of human-caused wildfires increases.

 “These restrictions are about keeping public lands open and minimizing the potential loss of wildlife habitat and forage in a year where drought has already caused significant stress,” said Color Country District Manager Gloria Tibbetts.

“We have to remain vigilant about protecting our public lands from human-caused fires and be responsible for our actions. We can do so by watching the weather, taking safety precautions for permitted activities, and encouraging others to do the same,” said Paria River District Manager Harry Barber. “Much like campfires, pellet stoves are not allowed unless they are in an existing permanently constructed cement or metal fire pit at BLM managed campgrounds as they still create ash that can blow into vegetation and start a fire that can quickly get out of control given the right conditions. For now, only devices like camp stoves fueled by liquid petroleum are allowed.”

Other restrictions include:

• No grinding, cutting, and welding of metal.
• No smoking except within an enclosed vehicle, covered areas, developed recreation site or while stopped in a cleared area of at least three feet in diameter that is barren with no flammable vegetation.
• No operating or using any internal or external combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained and in effective working order as determined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) recommended practices J335 and J350. Refer to Title 43 CFR 8343.1.
• The non-commercial use/discharge of explosives of any kind, incendiary or chemical devices, pyrotechnic devices, exploding targets, pressurized containers or canisters, and binary explosives.
• The use/discharge of any kind of fireworks as defined by this order.

The BLM fire prevention orders that outline fire restrictions can also be found at https://utahfireinfo.gov/active-fire-restriction-documents/ or at https://go.usa.gov/xGnDx. Restrictions of specific activities will remain in place until human caused fires and fire dangers decrease.

On May 18, the Utah State Director signed a Fire Prevention Order, which can be found at the BLM Utah Fire and Aviation webpage: https://www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-info/utah and the Utah Fire Info webpage: https://utahfireinfo.gov/.

For more information on preventing unwanted human caused wildfires, visit www.utahfireinfo.gov and www.wildlandfire.az.gov or on Twitter @UtahWildfire.