The smoke clogging the air this week didn’t originate in the Wasatch Back but from fires like the 566-acre Bonneville Fire above the University of Utah, the 3,790-acre Sawmill Fire west of Cedar City and, most recently, the 10,889-acre Cottonwood Fire outside of Beaver.
Those are a few of the seven wildfires burning in Utah right now totaling 52,939 acres burned so far. And it’s still early in the fire season.
While there are no active fires in either Summit or Wasatch counties, worsening conditions across the state, and a hot and dry forecast, led the counties to set tighter restrictions in place.
Summit County in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service upped its fire danger level to extreme on Tuesday, meaning that fires can start quickly, spread furiously and burn intensely, often making it too dangerous for firefighters to engage.
“With expected forecast, and so on of possible dry lightning coming in towards the end of the week, we’re going to bump them up to the extreme until we start seeing precipitation come in,” said Summit County Fire Warden Bryce Boyer.
Wasatch County implemented Stage 1 fire restrictions on Friday, which have been in place in Summit County since June 6.
Those restrictions ban the use of fireworks on private, unincorporated lands, and at no time are they allowed on state or federal land, Boyer said. While the state cannot mandate that restriction within incorporated city limits, the local government can, so Boyer said to check with each municipality for its restrictions. But in unincorporated areas, absolutely no fireworks use, he said.
“Even if you own the ground, that still means that that restriction is in place. You could be cited,” he said.
During this time of year, with Independence Day approaching, and the sale window for vendors selling common state-approved fireworks opening, Boyer emphasized the need for an abundance of caution.
According to the Great Basin Coordination Center, the interagency hub for managing wildland fire and emergency incidents in the region, including Utah, record-dry fuels indicate large fire potential across the state.
Generally the Wasatch Back is still green, especially at high elevations, said Assistant Chief Ashley Lewis with the Park City Fire District. To better prepare the Fire District’s specialized wildland fire division, which formed in May, the district sent out its two wildland engines to help its neighbors.
“We felt comfortable sending resources local within Utah to help fight some of these fires,” Lewis said, “to get more extra staff, more qualifications, more training, more experience to bring back to Park City to help train our organization and bring that experience and that expertise back.”
Battalion Chief Zane Thompson leads the wildland program. He said their two crews are currently on the Sawmill Fire in Southwestern Utah, which he also describes as invaluable training experience.
“The benefit of this is getting these guys exposed to what a wildland fire is, fire behavior,” he said. “When you actually are out in it, and living in it, and dealing with it, that’s where it hits home with these firefighters.”
The fire danger level down in Southern Utah is also extreme, and Thompson said the fuel moisture readings they’ve seen match the drought conditions seen across the state. The probability of ignition is 100%, even in 1,000-hour fuels: downed logs and heavy timber between 3 and 8 inches in diameter which are usually very difficult to ignite because they require long periods of extreme drought to dry out.
“What that means and tells us as firefighters is that if you have 100 matches and you throw it out, every single one is going to start a fire,” Thompson said.
The Great Basin meteorologist briefing as of Tuesday morning indicated a potential for mixed wet, dry thunderstorms in Utah on Wednesday and Thursday, with strong winds returning Friday and Saturday.
Those thunderstorms are good and bad, though: They may increase relative humidity and bring some precipitation, but they also bring possible lightning and gusty winds that can spur fires.
Summit County was shown in the highest concentration of smoke impact for the next few days, and the county released a drift smoke advisory, which asks residents to only report a fire if a defined smoke column or flames are visible.
“(If it’s) just the smoky air or the haze, we would appreciate not getting a bunch of calls,” Boyer said. “It’s everywhere, and it drains resources if we’re going out to check every little canyon and draw, and it’s just the drift smoke. That keeps resources that may not then be available for an actual call.”
Lewis also emphasized that as of now, most if not all of Utah’s fires are human caused, meaning there are things the community can do to stay safe. Like following the Stage 1 restrictions, listed below, and making sure neighbors do, too.
- No open fires are allowed except in the following cases:
- In approved fire rings or grills at developed campgrounds or day-use area on public lands that have pressurized running water system.
- In permanently constructed fire pits at private residences that have pressurized water system.
- No smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, trailer or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area that is paved or free from dry vegetation.
- No discharging or using any fireworks, tracer ammunition or other pyrotechnic devices including exploding targets.
- No cutting, welding or grinding metal in areas of dry vegetation.
- No operating a motorcycle, chainsaw, ATV, or other small internal combustion engine without an approved and working spark arrestor.
Any of the above acts is a violation of state law and is punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
“It takes a village, it takes community … all working together to mitigate these risks,” he said.
Text SCFIRE to 91896 for non-emergency updates on current fires, weather conditions and burn restrictions.