Federal, state and county land agencies implemented stage one fire restrictions that will take effect Tuesday.
According to news releases from San Juan National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management, prohibited activities under stage one restrictions include welding, setting off explosives like fireworks, smoking outside a building or vehicle, and building camp fires and cooking with charcoal outside of designated metal or concrete pits.
The restrictions will apply to all lower elevations of the San Juan National Forest and BLM lands within the boundaries of Archuleta, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan and San Miguel counties. Restrictions also apply to the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
La Plata County also announced stage one fire restrictions to take effect Tuesday.
The restrictions come after the fire danger was elevated to “high” or “very high” throughout the region as a result of dry foliage in those areas, said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Lorena Williams.
“A fire is more likely to ignite in those grasses or lighter fuels, and it’s more likely to grow quickly,” Williams said. “If a fire escapes a campfire ring, for example, the likelihood of it growing out of control rapidly is high, and that’s one of the indicators for us when we implement stage one fire restrictions. How fast will this thing get big and out of control?”
Williams said the Forest Service, county governments and fire departments have coordinated to position wildfire crews in strategic places throughout the region to respond quickly to a blaze should one break out due to a lightning strike, for example. But, she said, people may be lured into a false sense of security by rain in the forecast, and urged people to adhere to the restrictions.
“We have quite a few of those crews available for initial attack in case we do get a fire,” Williams said. “But if we get five lightning fires, and then we have a couple human-caused fires on top of that, we start to compete for resources for multiple fires. So, if we’re expecting some lightning fires, we need to limit the number of human-caused fires even more than normal.”
In addition to obeying the restrictions, Williams said there are several other ways to avoid starting a blaze.
She said to avoid using a lawn mower during the hottest part of the day, which can create a spark if its blade hits a rock and ignites dry grass. Make sure to keep trailer chains from dragging along the highway to prevent roadside fires. Finally, don’t drive a car through tall grass because parts of a vehicle’s exhaust can become extremely hot and ignite fuels.
Finally, Williams urged people to check current wildfire danger online or with their local fire jurisdictions. She also pointed out that specific restrictions can differ between La Plata County, San Juan County and the Forest Service, and encouraged people to research those restrictions before traveling if they plan on having a campfire.
“We encourage people to pay attention to whose land they’re on and check for fire restrictions there,” Williams said. “In Southwest Colorado, all of our fire agencies are staffed up right now, and we’re prepared for initial attack if a fire does occur. We’ve had really strong coordination across agencies to make sure that we’re ready in case something does happen.”
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
