Campfires banned at 2 Utah national forests amid uptick of human-caused wildfires

CEDAR CITY — The U.S. Forest Service is temporarily banning campfires on land it manages in central and southwest Utah, as fire activity has swelled over the past week.

The agency is moving all land in the Dixie and Fishlake National Forests to Stage 2 fire restrictions beginning on Friday, which prohibit any fire, including campfires or stove fires fueled by charcoal or briquettes.

Stoves, grills or firepits that are fueled by liquid or gas that can be turned on and off will still be permitted, as long as they are “used in an area barren or cleared of all flammable materials within 10 feet of the device,” according to the order.

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Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, is also prohibited, as is operating a generator, chainsaw, or other equipment powered by an internal combustion engine capable of igniting a fire, according to the order. It also bans welding, grinding or operating an acetylene or other torch with open flame.

Motor vehicles must remain on designated national forest system roads, motorized trails or established parking areas. Parking is also allowed in areas at least 10 feet from any vegetation.

The order applies to the Beaver, Cedar City, Escalante, Fillmore, Fremont River, Pine Valley, Powell and Richfield ranger stations. It will remain in place until conditions improve.

Federal foresters opted to increase fire restrictions while the Cottonwood Fire in the Fishlake National Forest has jumped to more than 70,000 acres in just three days. It’s destroyed an unknown number of buildings, including at least pieces of Eagle Point Resort east of Beaver.

Gov. Spencer Cox toured the area on Wednesday and said there’s “a very good chance this is already the most destructive fire in the state’s history,” in relation to the estimated property losses.

Both forests had been in Stage 1 restrictions after Utah’s dismal snowpack season ended. Most of central and southwest Utah is listed as either in severe or extreme drought, and those conditions have begun to expand across the state.

Officials have yet to determine what caused the Cottonwood Fire, but there has been an increasing number of human-caused wildfires in both regions, as well as reports of abandoned campfires, said Kevin Greenhalgh, Dixie National Forest’s fire management officer. The Stage 2 restrictions will take effect before red-flag fire conditions are forecast to return this weekend.

Dry conditions are expected to keep the potential for large fires above normal “for the foreseeable future,” as well.

“We are responding to more reports of abandoned campfires that, coupled with extremely dry conditions at all elevations, could lead to large, challenging fires that threaten communities and public and firefighter safety, similar to what was seen with the Cottonwood Fire on the Fishlake National Forest,” he said.

The order does not apply to state or other federal land in the area. Zion National Park is the only other area that has implemented Stage 2 fire restrictions. It implemented those before Memorial Day weekend, when most of southwest Utah added Stage 1 restrictions.

Nearly every wildland area in the state is currently subject to Stage 1 fire restrictions.

Over 140,000 acres of land across Utah have already burned this year, per state and federal firefighters. The total number is closing in on the nearly 165,000 acres burned last year, the state’s busiest fire year since 2020.