< All Announcements

BLM issues fire restrictions for five eastern Wyoming counties

Wyoming
High Plains DO
Media Contact

CASPER, Wyo. – Due to dry conditions and increasing fire danger, the Bureau of Land Management is placing stage 1 fire restrictions on BLM-administered public lands in the following counties: Crook, Niobrara, Weston, Goshen, and Platte. These restrictions take effect immediately.

With Independence Day around the corner, the BLM and our wildland firefighters remind you to be safe and responsible while out enjoying public lands. We need your help this holiday, and throughout the summer, to prevent human-caused wildfires and keep Wyoming beautiful.

“Preventable wildfires threaten lives, property, and precious resources every year,” says Craig Short, BLM High Plains District Fire Management Officer. “Firefighters are needed more than ever to keep Americans safe, so please, do your part to prevent human-caused wildfires.”

The following acts are prohibited under stage 1 restrictions.

  • Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire or campfire except within agency-provided fire grates at developed recreation sites, or within fully enclosed stoves with a ¼” spark arrester type screen, or within fully enclosed grills, or in stoves using pressurized liquid or gas.
  • Smoking, except in an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
  • Operating a chainsaw without a USDA or SAE approved spark arrester properly installed and working, a chemical fire extinguisher of not less than eight ounces capacity by weight, and one round point shovel with an overall length of at least 36 inches.
  • Using a welder, either arc or gas, or operating an acetylene or other torch with open flame, except in cleared areas of at least 10 feet in diameter with a chemical pressurized fire extinguisher of not less than eight ounces capacity.

Stage 1 fire restrictions are in addition to the year-round wildfire prevention restrictions on BLM-administered public lands in Wyoming. These are:

  • Discharge or use of any fireworks.
  • Discharge of a firearm using incendiary or tracer ammunition.
  • Burn, ignite or cause to burn any tire, wire, magnesium, or any other hazardous or explosive material.
  • Operate any off-road vehicle on public lands unless the vehicle is equipped with a properly installed spark arrester pursuant to 43 CFR 8343.1 (c).
  • Use/discharge of explosives of any kind, incendiary devices, pyrotechnic devices, or exploding targets.

For more information on BLM fire restrictions or conditions, contact your local BLM office or go to www.blm.gov/wyoming-fire-restrictions.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.