Concerned about destructive wildfires, interagency fire managers are implementing widespread fire restrictions in southern Utah.

State fire officials have implemented fire restrictions on nearly all federal, state and unincorporated private lands in Washington, Iron, Beaver, Kane and Garfield counties.

Saint George • Fire managers can't beat southern Utah's heat and drought, but they're starting early to mitigate what could potentially be a devastating wildfire season.

Concerned about hot, dry weather, combined with the abundance of grass and other potential fuels, federal and state fire officials have implemented fire restrictions on nearly all private federal, state, and non-state lands. incorporated in Washington, Iron, Beaver, Kane and Garfield counties.

Only lands in Beaver and Garfield counties managed by the Fishlake National Forest are excluded. Stage 1 fire restrictions also extend to all Arizona lands north of the Grand Canyon, National Park Service lands in the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, and all public lands managed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. of land management in the Arizona Band.

Dave Harmon, fire management manager for the Southwest Utah State Division of Forest Fire and Lands, says high fire risks are present in much of the region and Hot and dry weather conditions are expected to continue through July.

“On windy days, wildfires have the potential to become larger because there is more fuel available and they spread more quickly through dry grasses,” Harmon said in a news release.

Specifically, Stage One Fire Restrictions prohibit fires outside of maintained campgrounds in southwest Utah and fireworks on all federal and public lands and on unincorporated private property in society. It also prohibits smoking and using acetylene torches or cutting tools near dry vegetation as well as target shooting involving explosive targets and tracer munitions.

Even stricter second-stage fire restrictions are in place at Zion National Park's Watchman Campground, where no open fires of any kind are permitted. Campfires are allowed in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in campgrounds within established fire rings, located in areas devoid of vegetation and below the high water mark, according to federal and state officials.

Kayli Guild, fire prevention and communications coordinator with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, said this year's fire restrictions were put in place on June 21, almost two weeks ago. earlier than July 3 last year, due to above-average high temperatures. To make matters worse, the past few months have been drier than normal in the Cedar City and St. George areas.

Cedar City, for example, has received 4.6 inches of precipitation since the start of the calendar year in January, compared to 6.9 inches at the same time a year ago and the normal rate of 5.38 inches , according to the National Weather Service.

“June is typically one of the driest months,” said David Church, science and operations manager for the National Weather Service's Salt Lake City office. “We're coming out of winter and spring, moving into summer and waiting for the monsoon to start. So it's typical to be drier this time of year.”

A year ago, wildfires weren't much of a problem in southern Utah, where precipitation was near record highs the following winter and spring.

“Last year was an anomaly,” Guild said. “The heavy amounts of snow we saw and the monsoons that came to our rescue have somewhat moderated the temperatures. If a fire broke out, moisture would build up on the fire quite quickly.

In the Dixie National Forest, for example, the largest fire firefighters faced last season was about five acres.

“Last year was very quiet,” said Dixie National Forest Supervisor Kevin Wright, who would like to see a repeat this year but wants to be ready no matter what.

Wright, who oversees the forest's two million acres, is particularly concerned about the recent trend of people lighting logs outside established fire pits. He said the logs burn hot, are difficult to put out and pose a significant fire hazard.

“We want the public to enjoy the forest, but we also want to make sure they are informed of the current fire restrictions so they can be safe,” he said, adding that campers should have a shovel and enough water on hand to put out their fires. Before leaving.

In addition to the Utah Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service, the fire restrictions were also implemented by the federal BLM, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the National Park Service. For more information on wildfires and prevention, visit www.utahfireinfo.gov or on Twitter @UtahWildfire.