La Plata County commissioners on Tuesday voted to enact fire restrictions for the southern half of the county.

The restrictions, which prohibit open burning, burn barrels and agricultural burning, will take effect at 8 a.m. Thursday and apply to all private lands in the unincorporated areas of the county south of U.S. Highway 160.

Fireworks also are prohibited.

Federal and tribal land agencies are expected to enact similar restrictions within the next few days, said Butch Knowlton, director of the county’s Office of Emergency Preparedness.

High temperatures, low humidity and persistent winds have elevated the fire danger this summer in southern La Plata County, said Rod Allen, a battalion chief with Durango Fire & Rescue Authority.

“We don’t see any relief in moisture in the near future,” he said.

The county has issued basic fire restrictions about this time every year for the last 15 years, with the exception of five years: 1997, 1999, 2001, 2008 and 2009.

The Stage 1 restrictions also prohibit the use of a campfire, coal or wood-burning stove, and any type of charcoal grill or open fire in any undeveloped area.

The restrictions do not include charcoal fires in suitable containers or gas grills for barbecues at private residences or fires within designated campground pits with protective grates. But people are encouraged not to leave these fires unattended and to extinguish them after use.

The restrictions were recommended by Sheriff Duke Schirard and the chiefs of the local fire districts.

If conditions deteriorate further, officials have two additional stages of fire restrictions:

b Stage 2 restrictions, which further limit activities that could spark a fire, including prohibiting the use of motorized vehicles off designated roads and trails.

b Stage 3 restrictions, which bring complete closures of public lands. They have been implemented only once in La Plata County, by federal public lands officials during the 2002 Missionary Ridge Fire.

Wildfire season typically starts in the southern half of the United States and moves north. That pattern has held true this year with big fires starting in Texas and Arizona and progressing into New Mexico, said Dave Imming, spokesman for the Rescue Authority.

“We’ve gotten to Los Alamos,” Imming said. “Where’s it going to be next week?”

Local fire agencies this season sent firefighters and resources to southern states to assist with firefighting efforts. But those resources are being recalled to be available locally.

“We are pulling our people back at least into the holiday weekend,” Imming said. “There is a higher risk of man-made fires.”

Firefighters are especially concerned about the July monsoons, which can bring lighting and natural wildfires.

“We don’t have any control over Mother Nature, and if we get a couple of lightning strikes in here, we’re going to be a busy community,” Knowlton said.

Commissioner Wally White said he would like to see more portions of the county covered by the restrictions. Knowlton said if conditions don’t improve soon, he may be back in two weeks asking for more restrictions.

A smoky haze hanging over Durango on Tuesday was the result of the Las Conchas Fire near Los Alamos, according to a news release from the Durango Interagency Fire Dispatch Center.

Gordon Pierce at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said particulate matter is monitored in Durango, Cortez and Pagosa Springs.

But readings aren’t available in real time because data must be analyzed at a laboratory, a process that can take a couple of weeks, Pierce said.

No other wildfires had been reported in the immediate area, and the dispatch center was requesting that residents not clog phone lines by calling for information. Instead, the public was asked to keep its eyes open for local fires and call 911 if any burning is observed.

Fire conditions locally are similar to those in New Mexico, prompting a Red Flag Warning to be issued today, the release said.

Such a warning is generally prompted by sustained winds, low humidity and high temperatures.

For more fire information, go to www.inciweb.org.

shane@durango herald.com