Worried about destructive wildfires, interagency fire managers implement widespread fire restrictions across southern Utah.
State fire officials have implemented fire restrictions on nearly all federal, state and unincorporated private land in Washington, Iron, Beaver, Kane and Garfield counties.Fire managers can’t beat southern Utah’s heat and dry conditions but they are getting an early start on dampening what could potentially be a devastating wildfire season.
Dave Harmon, fire management officer with the Southwest Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands, says the elevated fire risks are present across much of the region and the hot and dry weather conditions are expected to continue into July. Even stricter stage two fire restrictions are in place at Zion National Park’s Watchman Campground, where no open fires of any kind are allowed. Campfires are permitted at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in campgrounds within established fire rings that are located in areas devoid of vegetation and below the high-water mark, according to federal and state officials.
“June typically is one of the drier months,” said David Church, science and operations officer for the National Weather Service’s Salt Lake City office. “We are coming out of winter and spring, transitioning to summer and waiting for the monsoon season to kick in. So it’s typical to be on the drier side this time of year.”
In Dixie National Forest, for example, the largest blaze firefighters had to deal with last season was about five acres.
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