By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News

As of Thursday, Aug. 28, statewide Stage two fire restrictions have been rescinded by both state and federally based agencies. This development comes after recent monsoonal rains have brought relief to fire areas and temporarily lowered fire danger.

“Recent rainfall has brought some relief to Utah’s lower-elevation rangelands, but these fuels can dry quickly,” said BLM Utah State Fire Management Officer Chris Delaney. “While restrictions can be eased slightly, continued caution is needed to protect communities and landscapes.”

These restrictions apply to all state and private unincorporated lands in Utah. They also apply to federally managed lands in Utah, including those managed by the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management, which will also return to Stage one Fire Restrictions.

Within the Castle Country, this order will impact the Green River Bureau of Land Management area and the Manti-La-Sal National Forest, as well as private and state unincorporated lands. This includes Trust Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife Management Areas.

“We want to remind the public that it’s still fire season in Utah,” stated Zeph Cunningham, the Acting Intermountain Region Fire Director. “Even with these decreased restrictions, we ask everyone to take every precaution to prevent human-caused fires and alleviate the work on our fire resources.”

Along with the order comes several restrictions on what can and can’t be done with fire to help lower the risk of wildfires. These include:

• No open fires of any kind except within established facilities in improved campgrounds or day-use areas on public lands. – OR – in permanently constructed fire pits at permanent private dwellings served by pressurized running water.
• Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, trailer or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area that is paved or free from dry vegetation.
• Cutting, welding or grinding metal in areas of dry vegetation.
• Operating a motorcycle, chain saw, ATV, or other small internal combustion engine without an approved and working spark arrestor.
• Discharging or using fireworks, tracer ammunition or other pyrotechnics devices including exploding targets.

For incorporated lands and municipalities, control has been returned to local fire agencies.

For more prevention and fire safety resources, visit UtahFireSense.org.