Extreme fire conditions in northwestern Colorado prompted the Northwest Colorado Fire Management Unit to increase fire restrictions to the “Stage 2” level for all BLM lands in the Little Snake, Kremmling and White River field offices beginning Friday, June 22.

Stage 2 fire restrictions prohibit:

> Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire or campfire, charcoal grill, coal, wood burning stove or sheepherders stove, including in developed camping and picnic grounds. Devices using pressurized liquid or gas are exempted;

> Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, trailer, building or tent;

> Using an explosive requiring fuse or blasting caps, fireworks, rockets, exploding targets and tracers or incendiary ammunition;

> Operating a chainsaw without an approved spark arrestor, and without a chemical pressurized fire extinguisher and a round-point shovel with an overall length of at least 35 inches that is readily available for use;

> Welding, or operating an acetylene or other torch with open flame except with a current permit, contract or letter of authorization.

> The use of fireworks, flares or other incendiary devices is always prohibited on federal lands.

Fire restrictions are based on the specific conditions on the ground. The moisture readings in vegetation in northwestern Colorado are drier than they have been in the past decade, and the “Energy Release Component” – which measures how hot a fire would burn – are as high as they’ve been in the past decade.