Fire restrictions will be put in place at 8 a.m. Friday, June 21, on state-owned and state-managed land in several counties, mainly north and west of the Tucson area.
The Department of Forestry and Fire Management said Thursday that the Stage 1 restrictions will go into effect in Gila, La Paz, Maricopa and Yuma counties. Also, restrictions will be in place in Mohave County, south of the Colorado River.
The restrictions generally affect all State Trust lands outside incorporated municipalities; Game and Fish Commission wildlife areasoutside incorporated municipalities, all state parks outside incorporated municipalities and all Department of Transportation highway and right-of-way property outside cities and towns.
Fire activity is increasing and suppression resources remain spread thin, the agency said in a news release.
The following restrictions will be put in place in state-owned and state-managed lands in the affected counties:
- Building, maintaining or using a fire, campfire, charcoal, coal or wood stove is prohibited other than in a developed campsite or picnic area. Exemptions include devices that use liquid petroleum or LPG fuels that can be turned on and off, and only then in a cleared area.
- Smoking is prohibited unless it’s in an enclosed vehicle or building, or in a developed recreation site or cleared area.
- Fireworks and other incendiary devices are always prohibited.
- Welding or using a torch device with an open flame are also prohibited.
The restrictions will be in place until lifted, typically after rains have reduced the fire danger.
Fire restrictions were put in place last week in the Tonto National Forest, east of Phoenix. That’s the site of the state’s largest wildfire burning now — the Woodbury Fire has charred about 51,000 acres northwest of Superior.
Fire restrictions have also been implemented on Bureau of Land Management lands within the Colorado River District. The district’s 5½ million acres of public lands in Western Arizona extend from southern Mohave County, along the Colorado River, through La Paz and Yuma counties and include the management of a small strip of land in southeastern California.
