Stage 2 fire restrictions in Summit County will end after three weeks when the county moves back to Stage 1 restrictions at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 29. The fire danger adjective moved from “very high” to “high” Tuesday, Aug. 26.

The county has had fire restrictions since June 27, when it first entered Stage 1. The move from Stage 2 to Stage 1 is due to recent and forecasted rain, according to Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons, who is also the county’s fire warden.

Matt Benedict, a Red, White and Blue Fire Protection District division chief, wrote in an email that the fire adjective moved down thanks to fuels in the county getting “some long overdue moisture.” He emphasized that the recent “shot of moisture” does not mean wildfire season is over.

FitzSimons told the Summit Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, Aug. 26, that two components officials consider when making fire restriction recommendations have improved thanks to recent rain and are expected to keep improving with more precipitation.

The energy release component, which quantifies the potential energy that could be released in an area, has “dropped significantly,” FitzSimons said. Live fuel moisture, or the amount of water in living vegetation, has increased. Those changes support moving out of Stage 2 restrictions, FitzSimons said.

“Rain is in the extended forecast,” FitzSimons said. “We are expected (to have) near-normal temperatures for a little while, which is also good for us.”

FitzSimons suggested a “slow rollback” to Stage 1 restrictions so officials could be sure the extended forecasts’ predictions of rain hold true.

“It’ll at least give folks this weekend, with the holiday weekend, an opportunity to have their end of summer backyard barbecues and backyard fires,” FitzSimons said.

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The Dillon Ranger District will also move from Stage 2 to Stage 1 restrictions this week, meaning campfires within permanent fire rings at designated campsites in the district will be allowed.

The rest of the White River National Forest will remain under Stage 2 restrictions, FitzSimons said.

Statewide and regional firefighting support groups have resources available, FitzSimons said, if a fire does break out in Summit County.

Stage 1 restrictions are less intense than Stage 2, but still ban things like open fires outside of designated campgrounds (no backcountry or dispersed camping sites), smoking outside designated areas or vehicles, fireworks, chainsaws and more. Stage 2 restrictions banned nearly all fires that were not gas-fueled and could be turned on and off with a switch.

Violations of fire restrictions can result in fines and other disciplinary actions, depending on severity. Learn more about fire restrictions at SummitSheriffColorado.gov.