In recognition of the extreme fire danger that exists across southern and central Idaho, fire managers with the U.S. Forest Service have decided to initiate increased fire restrictions at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, July 26.
The Stage 2 fire restrictions will cover all of the Sawtooth, Boise and Payette national forests, except for those lands inside the 2.4-million-acre Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area.
The increased fire restrictions will also apply to lands managed by the Boise and Twin Falls districts of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
The combination of immense fire activity, lengthy record high temperatures, below normal precipitation and extremely dry forests and rangelands provided the impetus for public land managers to implement the restrictions, a Forest Service press release states.
"The extreme seriousness of our present situation and the long-term outlook of dry summer weather prompted the implementation of these stronger fire restrictions," Boise National Forest Supervisor Dick Smith said. "With multiple large fires currently burning in the southwest Idaho area, our suppression resources are stretched thin, and any new fire will be a challenge to suppress quickly."
Under Stage 2 fire restrictions the following actions are prohibited:
· Building, maintaining or using a fire, campfire, or wood burning stove (including barbecues, sheep herder stoves, or similar products) except in developed campsites or other recreation sites as listed on national forest maps.
· Smoking except for in developed recreation sites, inside vehicles or buildings, or in an area 3 feet in diameter, cleared of burnable material.
· Operating motorized vehicles off of designated roads and trails.
· Operating a chainsaw, generator or any other type of forest equipment powered by an internal combustion engine, as well as blasting, welding, or other activities that generate flame or flammable material, between the hours of 1 p.m. and 1 a.m.
Stage 2 fire restrictions allow the use of propane, butane, or white gas lanterns and stoves and liquid petroleum fueled gas stoves. Those who hold valid firewood cutting permits on the Sawtooth, Boise and Payette national forests are only allowed to cut firewood between 1 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Hand crews work the perimeter of the East Gulch Fire Tuesday morning. Firefighters from Ketchum, Sun Valley, Wood River Fire & Rescue, Hailey, Bellevue and Carey, as well as the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management, were called to fight the fire. Photo by David N. Seelig
