CEDAR CITY–In order to protect public health from preventable human-caused fires, fire restrictions will continue for the foreseeable future on Bureau of Land Management public lands in Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, Wayne, Washington, Iron, Beaver, Garfield and Kane counties due to a continued lack of adequate monsoonal moisture.

BLM managers acknowledge it is unusual to maintain fire restrictions this late into the year, but the increased fire danger warrants it. With this late season focus on safety, came a sizeable amount of public inquiries regarding the topic, particularly “are campfires or pellet stoves permitted?”

“Campfires are not permitted unless they are in an existing permanently constructed cement or metal fire pit at BLM managed camp grounds,” said acting Color Country District Manager Paul Briggs. “People ask if they can bring their own metal barrels or dig a hole in the ground. None of that is ok. The vegetation is extremely dry–in many cases at record low levels of moisture. We’re asking for the public to help us through the remainder of this unprecedented fire season.”

“Pellet stoves are also not permitted. Pellets still create ash that must be disposed of and could potentially cause a fire,” said Paria River District Manager Harry Barber. “We have to be vigilant about protecting our lands from human-caused fires when we have the type of unusual fire conditions that we are currently in. Right now, only devices like camp stoves that are fueled by liquid petroleum are allowed.”

Other restrictions include:

• No grinding, cutting, and welding of metal.

• No 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. Refer to Title 43 CFR 8343.1.

• No possession and/or detonation of explosives, including exploding targets as defined by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in 27 CFR 555.

• No fireworks and incendiary or chemical devices, and pyrotechnics as defined in 49 CFR 173.

This fire season, the Bureau of Land Management issued multiple fire prevention orders that outline fire restrictions in southwest and central Utah. You can find those prevention orders at https://utahfireinfo.gov/active-fire-restriction-documents/ or at https://go.usa.gov/xGnDx. Restrictions of specific activities will remain in place until human caused fires and fire dangers decrease.

For more information on preventing unwanted human caused wildfires, visit www.utahfireinfo.gov or on Twitter @UtahWildfire.