SWEETWATER COUNTY — The Sweetwater Board of County Commissioners decided to let the fire restriction expire Tuesday. The BLM has also lifted their fire prevention order in the High Desert District.
During their prior meeting, the commissioners voted to extend the fire restrictions for two weeks. With the last two weeks of scattered rain showers, fuel moisture levels are increasing and the fire danger has fallen.
“We did our job with it over the last month,” Commissioner Island Richards said Tuesday.
One of the driving circumstances that led to fire restrictions throughout the state was fires that had flared up last month, such as the Dollar Lake Fire in Sublette County. According to the U.S. Forest Service, the nearly 20,000 acre Dollar Lake fire is 63 percent contained. While the fire has grown a little, there is still a fair amount of burning material within the contained area. Compared to the same time last month, the fire has grown 7,000 acres from when it was zero percent contained.
