Durango has issued its first fire emergency ordinance since 2018, granting the city manager authority to regulate fire use and impose burn restrictions in anticipation of fire season, which has already begun in Southwest Colorado.
The emergency ordinance was enacted after the National Weather Service’s Grand Junction office issued numerous red flag warnings this spring and after wildfires have erupted in the region. La Plata County entered into Stage 1 fire restrictions on Thursday.
The ordinance was intended to bolster area precautions, according to a news release from the city of Durango.
The city also referenced the 30-acre Ute Pass Fire near Edgemont Ranch, which was started by a mower that chipped a rock on May 13. The fire forced mandatory evacuations of about 60 residents in the Ute Pass subdivision.
The emergency ordinance allows City Manager José Madrigal to respond to fire risks more rapidly than the city could under normal circumstances, which would require City Council to vote on regulations at regularly scheduled meetings or special meetings that require advance notice to the public.
Specifically, the ordinance allows Madrigal to restrict fire uses such as barbecues, fire pits, smoking in proximity to buildings or burning for agricultural use, to name a few.
Madrigal can order fire restrictions as necessary while the ordinance is in effect.
The emergency ordinance went into effect on Friday and is scheduled to expire July 19.
Currently, only small recreational campfires, cooking fires and warming fires are permitted, according to the ordinance. Small fires are defined as 3 feet in diameter or less and 2 feet or less in height. Permitted fires are required to be at least 25 feet away from buildings or other flammable materials.
Countywide, Stage 1 fire restrictions prohibit open fires such as campfires, wood burning stoves and burn barrels; restrict smoking to areas with more than 3 feet of distance from flammable vegetation; and prohibit the use of fireworks or other explosive materials, a county news release says.
cburney@durangoherald.com
