SWEETWATER COUNTY– With the 4th of July holiday fast approaching, Sheriff Mike Lowell and County Fire Warden Mike Bournazian issued a joint fire safety advisory Monday afternoon.

First and foremost, fireworks are prohibited on all BLM-administered lands and the Ashley National Forest, which encompasses the entire shoreline of Flaming Gorge. (Fireworks, in fact, are prohibited on all public land.)

BLM Fire and Fireworks Alert

County officials passed along these excerpts from the Bureau of Land Management’s recent alert:

“Fireworks and other explosives are prohibited on BLM-administered lands. Wildland fires can also be started by campfires, shooting, motorized equipment, vehicles, trailer chains and a variety of other causes. Each year, wildland fires cause significant property damage and consume millions of acres of grazing and forage.”

“Visitors should take precautions to avoid starting wildfires, such as having a shovel and water on hand to extinguish campfires, avoiding parking in tall dry grass, and driving OHVs [Off Highway Vehicles] in areas where dry grass can be ignited by hot exhaust.

“When camping and using outdoor grills, make sure you clear areas of flammable vegetation. Check trailers to make sure equipment is in working order and chains are not dragging.”

Fire Restrictions for the National Ashley Forest

Special fire restrictions for the National Ashley Forest go into effect today [Monday, July 2] and prohibit the following:

• Igniting, building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, including charcoal and briquettes, outside a fire structure that is provided by the Forest Service within a designated area EXCEPT: Fires are allowed in constructed, permanent fire pits or fire grates within developed Forest Service campgrounds, picnic areas, and recreation sites. Petroleum-fueled stoves, lanterns, or heating devices that meet the fire underwriter’s specifications for safety are allowed.
• Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared to of all flammable material.
• Operating or using any internal or external combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained and in effective working order.
• Cutting, grinding or welding in areas of vegetation.

For More Information

For more information, visit the web pages of the BLM at

blm.gov/wyoming-fire-restrictions, and the U.S. Forest Service [Ashley National Forest] at www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd585549.pdf.