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SALT LAKE CITY — A fire restriction order for five Utah counties went into effect Thursday as weather forecasts call for extremely dry conditions in the coming weeks.
The order, signed by Utah State Forester Brian Cottam, calls for restrictions to all unincorporated private and all state lands within Davis, Morgan, Salt Lake, Tooele and Utah counties.
The order prohibits any open fires of any kind except within the facilities designated for them in improved campgrounds, picnic areas or home sites where running water is present.
Smoking is prohibited except within an enclosed vehicle, trailer or building, a developed recreation site or on a paved area free from dry vegetation.
Discharging or any use of fireworks, tracer ammunition or other pyrotechnic devices, including exploding targets, is prohibited.
Any cutting, welding or grinding metal in areas of dry vegetation is prohibited.
Any operating of a motorcycle, chainsaw, ATV or any other small internal combustion engine without an approved and working spark arrestor is also prohibited.
Any violations may be punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine up to $1,000. Persons with a permit or waiver specifically authorizing the use of one of the prohibited items or an on-duty firefighter in the performance of an official duty are exempt from the prohibitions.
The order does not apply to private lands within incorporated towns or city limits.
It was issued after several wildfires have sparked throughout the state this month. The largest of those is a wildfire burning at Brian Head in Beaver County, which burned 10,950 acres of land as of Thursday morning, according to Utah Fire Info. Gov. Gary Herbert said that fire started from a weed burner.
Weather forecasts project that current land conditions will worsen in the areas where the fire restriction order applies to. The National Weather Service projects temperatures throughout the areas of the restriction to range from the 80s and 90s, with no rain in the foreseeable future.
Click here for an interactive map that shows where fire restrictions are throughout the state.
