FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
For additional information, please June
29, 2016
contact: Butch Knowlton at 970-382-6270 2:00 p.m.
FIRE
RESTRICTIONS
Durango,
CO – Due to the hot, dry conditions and low humidity in La
Plata County, and the serious threat of fire danger that these conditions
impose, the La Plata County Board of County Commissioners enacted restrictions effective
at 6:00 a.m. on Friday, July 1, 2016 on open burning south of Highway 160 in
the unincorporated private land and State land areas of La Plata County. The
fire restrictions were enacted by the La Plata County Board of County
Commissioners upon the recommendation of Sheriff Sean Smith and the Chiefs of
the local fire districts.
The Southern Ute Indian Tribe
has enacted similar Stage I fire restrictions to take effect on July 1, 2016
for Tribal lands. The San Juan Public Lands Center, which manages US Forest
Service, BLM and Bureau of Reclamation lands in La Plata County, will continue
to monitor conditions and may enact similar Stage I fire restrictions.
“Local agencies participate
in a scientific process that looks at vegetation types and moisture content
from lower elevations to higher elevations,” explained Butch Knowlton, La Plata
County Emergency Management Director. “Using this scientific evaluation
process, each elevation has different wildland fire potential and different
restriction needs. Currently, the high
elevations do not have the fire potential that the lower elevations do, which
are generally located south of US Highway 160 in La Plata County. This is why we are recommending Stage I Fire
Restrictions south of Highway 160.”
The fire restrictions prohibit
open burning, burn barrels and agricultural burning on private property and
State lands south of Highway 160 in the unincorporated private land areas of La
Plata County. The use of a campfire,
coal or wood-burning stove, any type of charcoal grill or open fire in any
undeveloped area is prohibited. The fire
restrictions do not include charcoal fires in suitable containers or gas grills
for barbeques at private residences or fires within designated campground pits
with protective grates; however, residents and visitors alike must not to leave
these fires unattended and must carefully and fully extinguish them after
use.
The open flame prohibitions also
include the following:
- Smoking is limited to vehicles, buildings,
developed recreational areas and 3-foot-wide areas cleared of vegetation;
- Fireworks are prohibited;
- Use of explosive material is prohibited;
- Use of any internal combustion engine is
prohibited unless it is equipped with an approved and functioning
spark-arresting device;
- Welding and cutting operations must be conducted
with a 20-foot radius safe zone free of vegetation with a 2.5 gallon
pressurized fire extinguisher or 5 lb. ABC extinguisher or pressurized
water supply and proper hand tools on site with a fire watch individual
standing by continuously; and
- Flaring for production wells may be allowed with
approval from the designated fire chief.
A violation of the fire
restrictions shall constitute a class 2 petty offense punishable by a fine of
up to $300 for each violation.
If conditions warrant, the
restrictions do provide flexibility to the local fire chiefs to ease
restrictions or allow certain activities within their respective jurisdictions,
if they deem such actions to be safe, appropriate and prudent in their
professional opinion. There are four fire districts within La Plata County
serving different geographic areas of the County. To obtain specific
information, please contact a fire department listed below based on the
location of the property and the areas they serve:
•
Durango Fire
Protection District (for City of Durango and properties in the Animas valley
corridor from the north county line to New Mexico), visit
www.durangofirerescue.org/prevention/burn-permits.htm to fill out the online
permit, or call 970-382-6023.
•
Upper Pine Fire
Protection District (for the Town of Bayfield and properties east of Bayfield
north to Vallecito), visit http://upperpinefpd.org/burn-permits to fill out the
online permit, or call 970-884-9508;
•
Fort Lewis Mesa
Fire Protection District (for the Town of Ignacio and properties in west La
Plata County surrounding Hesperus to the Colorado/New Mexico state line on
Highway 140), please call 970-238-0115; or
•
Los Pinos Fire
Protection District (for properties in the southeast corner of La Plata County
and surrounding Ignacio), please call 970-563-9501.
Please
contact the San Juan Public Lands Center at 970-247-4874 for information on
fire restrictions on the San Juan National Forest, Bureau of Land Management or
Bureau of Reclamation lands within La Plata County. Please contact Southern Ute
BIA Forestry at 970-563-4571 for restrictions in Southern Ute Tribal Lands.
The La Plata County fire management
agencies will continue to monitor the situation and if the conditions continue
to deteriorate, a more restrictive fire ban may be developed. The fire restrictions will remain in effect
until such time as the threat of fire danger in La Plata County has reduced
significantly, as determined by the Sheriff, local fire chiefs and County
Director of Emergency Management.
At the time of this release
all public fireworks displays for Fourth of July celebrations will continue
under the supervision of the respective fire districts, however final decisions
will be made as conditions change.
(Note: A copy of the Board’s
resolution is attached.)
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