Based on the recommendation of fire officials, La Plata County commissioners approved Stage 2 fire restrictions Thursday that will take effect Friday.
The San Juan National Forest and Bureau of Indian Affairs Southern Ute Agency also enter Stage 2 fire restrictions Friday.
Stage 2 restrictions ban campfires, even in developed campgrounds and recreation areas, as well as other activities that pose a fire danger. The county restrictions apply to land owned by La Plata County as well as land in unincorporated areas of the county.
“We very well may be sitting together tomorrow facing a fire in this community, and I don’t want to lose sight of that,” said Durango Fire Protection District Chief Hal Doughty.
The vegetation around town might be green, but people shouldn’t be fooled: conditions are extremely dry, said San Juan National Forest Fire Manager Richard Bustamante.
La Plata County had a close call last week with the 358 Fire, which was started by someone shooting at a private gun range. Grass fields that usually provide a fire barrier were burning, Bustamante said. The fire scorched about 50 acres, led to the evacuation of about five homes and put a couple of hundred homes on pre-evacuation notice.
Other fires in the region have burned through aspen groves, which are normally hard to burn, he said.
The Durango area is currently home to federal firefighting resources, including hand crews, engine companies and aviation resources. Local fire districts are choosing to keep firefighting crews at home rather than deploying them to other fires in the country, Doughty said.
Fire restrictions are governed by a set of 10 criteria consisting of weather, fuel conditions and available firefighting resources. Currently, La Plata County meets at least seven of the criteria, which is why fire officials recommended Stage 2 restrictions.
If a big fire breaks out, firefighting resources would be spread thin, which could meet criteria for Stage 3 fire restrictions. Stage 3 restrictions could close federal lands, Bustamante said. Closing federal lands would not be a decision taken lightly, he said, because recreation is such a large part of Durango’s tourism economy.
In addition to restrictions, La Plata County Sheriff Sean Smith said people will be ticketed for throwing cigarette butts out of their car windows.
Some exemptions to the restrictions can be granted if residents seek prior approval from the land agencies that oversee those lands. Agricultural burns remain legal, but if a burn gets out of control, the landowner is responsible.
The county has been under Stage 1 restrictions since May 1. Earlier this month, the city of Durango announced it was canceling its Fourth of July fireworks show because of the fire danger.
This winter, snowfall in the Animas River Basin was less than 40 percent of average, and this week, Southwest Colorado’s snowpack was at 3 percent of the historic average.
La Plata County is currently in an “exceptional drought,” the most severe listing, with much of the Four Corners in either extreme or exceptional drought.
The National Weather Service said there is no significant precipitation in the immediate forecast.
Archuleta County implemented Stage 2 fire restrictions Tuesday.
The Bureau of Land Management Tres Rios Field Office also is considering implementing Stage 2 fire restrictions, said spokeswoman Shannon Borders.
Santa Fe National Forest implemented Stage 3 closures on Wednesday because of fire danger.
Stage 2 restrictions
Stage 2 restrictions in La Plata County include:
No campfires, including in developed campgrounds and recreation areas. No charcoal or coal barbecues or wood-burning stoves. Gas, pressurized cannister powered stoves with shut-off valves are allowed if they are at least 3 feet away from flammable material such as grass.
No open burning, burn barrels or agricultural burns without prior approval.
No smoking, except for in a building or vehicle.
No welding, use of open-flame torches, pipe-fitting, or metal grinding without a fire-watch official present with proper mitigation tools.
Oil and gas welding and cutting operations can be done only in an area with a radius of at least 20 feet from all flammable materials.
No use of equipment with an internal combustion engine without a properly installed spark arresting device, including chain saws, ATVs and generators.
No use of chain saws without a spark-arresting device and a readily accessible fire extinguisher and shovel.
No explosives such as fireworks and tracer round bullets.
Note that agencies such as the Forest Service may have different restrictions.
In the San Juan National Forest:
No traveling off marked roads, trails and parking areas in cars or off-road vehicles.
Discharging a firearm, air rifle or gas gun is prohibited on all land in the San Juan National Forest.
