Much of northwest Colorado implementing Stage 2 fire restrictions
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CRAIG, Colo. – Stage 2 fire restrictions will begin Friday, June 25 at 12:01 a.m. for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administered lands in Grand, Eagle, Summit, Routt, Moffat, Garfield, and Rio Blanco counties along with lands within the Kremmling, White River, and Little Snake Field Offices.
Recent hot and windy conditions across northwest Colorado have dried out fuels providing optimal conditions for wildfires.
Fire crews have been busy in recent days engaging the Oil Springs Fire in Rio Blanco County estimated at 11,993 acres 20 miles south of Rangely https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7569/, the West Fire in northwest Moffat County estimated at 3,100 acres 80 miles northwest of Craig https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7574/, and the Muddy Slide Fire in Routt County estimated at 4,000 acres 18 miles west of Kremmling https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7566/.
Based on these recent conditions, officials decided to implement stage 2 fire restrictions beginning June 25.
The BLM will enforce the following temporary restrictions on all BLM public lands under stage 2 fire restrictions until further notice:
- No building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire, charcoal grill, coal, wood burning stove, or sheepherders’ stove, including in developed camping and picnic grounds. Devices using pressurized liquid or gas are exempted.
- No smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, trailer, building, or tent.
- Using an explosive requiring fuse or blasting caps, fireworks, rockets, exploding targets and tracers, or incendiary ammunition.
- No operating or using any internal combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained, and in effective working order meeting either:
- Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Standard 5100-1a; or
- Appropriate Society of automotive Engineers (SAE) recommended practice J335(b) and J350(a). 36 CFR 261.52(j).
- No operating a chainsaw without an approved spark arrestor, and without a chemical pressurized fire extinguisher, and a round-point shovel with an overall length of at least 35 inches. The extinguisher will be with the equipment operator. The shovel may be kept with fueling supplies but readily available for use.
- No welding or operating an acetylene or other torch with open flame (except with a current permit, contract, or letter of authorization).
These new stage 2 fire restrictions will be in conjunction with restrictions that begin this week in other northwest Colorado locations including White River National Forest, Dinosaur National Monument, and Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge.
Maps and fire restriction orders are available on the BLM Colorado webpage at https://blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-information/colorado/northwest-district or the Craig Interagency Dispatch Center webpage at https://gacc.nifc.gov/rmcc/dispatch_centers/r2crc/index.htm.
General information about fire restrictions in Colorado are available at http://www.coemergency.com/p/fire-bans-danger.html.
-NWDFA-
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.