New Fire Restrictions. Due to the extreme drought conditions Utah has mandated more strict fire restrictions. Fire Managers have implementing Advanced (Stage II) Fire Restrictions that began Wednesday, June 30, at 12:01 a.m. (We in Pine Valley are now under very tight restrictions and can have NO outside fires. Even in an approved fire ring.)These apply to: Lands in Washington, Iron, Beaver, Kane, Garfield, Coconino, and Mojave Counties:
• Unincorporated privately owned and all state administered lands. (Pine Valley town area)
• Dixie National Forest (Pine Valley, Cedar City, Powell and Escalante Ranger Districts).
• National Park Service (Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Pipe Springs National Monument, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and Rainbow Bridge National Monument).
The Following acts are prohibited until further notice:
1. Igniting, building, attending, using a fire, campfire, charcoal, coal, wood stove fire, including fires in developed campgrounds and fire pits on personal property. All debris burning is strictly prohibited. No campfires are allowed in any location until restrictions are rescinded.
2. Discharging or using any kind of fireworks on unincorporated private land (always prohibited on state and federal lands).
3. Operating or using any internal or external combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained and in effective working order as determined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) recommended practices J335 and J350.
4. Operating a chainsaw or other motorized equipment powered by an internal combustion engine, other than motorized vehicles between the hours of 1:00 PM and 10:00 PM. A one-hour fire watch is required after chainsaw or other motorized equipment has shutdown.
5. Detonating of explosives, incendiary or chemical devices, pyrotechnics, or exploding targets, or tracer ammunition (always prohibited on federal land).
6. Cutting, welding, or grinding of metal in areas of dry vegetation.
7. Smoking except in an enclosed vehicle or building, or a developed recreation site or areas of a minimum of three (3) feet in diameter cleared down to mineral soil.
Fire conditions are extreme this year and we all need to use caution. This now restricts all usage of fire pits in campground, forest and our personal property. As we have seen in past people who disregard these rules can be cited, fined and could be held financially responsible for fire suppression and damage caused to our neighbor’s property.
Please Be Careful. All our lives, forest and town could depend on a single spark.
Rick Peetz
Pine Valley Fire Dept
