St. George • Of all the memories Michael Sorenson has logged hiking and camping in southern Utah, one in particular stands out. It happened in Pine Valley during a scorching July about a decade ago when he saw three young men engaged in illegal target shooting in a thick, dry stand of trees.
To help prevent incidents in dry and drought-prone southern Utah, federal and state fire officials implemented fire restrictions on most federal, state and private land in unincorporated areas in Washington, Kane and Garfield counties.
St. George • Of all the memories Michael Sorenson has logged hiking and camping in southern Utah, one in particular stands out. It happened in Pine Valley during a scorching July about a decade ago when he saw three young men engaged in illegal target shooting in a thick, dry stand of trees.
Rather than say something and risk provoking a confrontation, he opted to remain silent and move on. The next day, the Cedar City resident recalled, he read an article about a fire erupting in that general area that caused some significant damage and wondered if it was due to the target shooters.
“That haunted me for months because I realized I could have said something and possibly prevented the fire,” Sorenson said. “The only consolation I had was I didn’t know for sure if it was caused by those men and no one was hurt or killed.”
To help prevent similar incidents in dry and drought-prone southern Utah, federal and state fire officials on June 1 implemented fire restrictions on most federal, state and private land in unincorporated areas in Washington, Kane and Garfield counties, according to a recent Color Country Interagency Fire news release.
Only land managed by the U.S. Forest Service, including Dixie and Fishlake National Forests, are excluded from the restrictions, according to federal and state fire officials. Elsewhere, the stage one fire restrictions extend to all Arizona state lands north of the Grand Canyon, National Park Service land in the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument and all public land managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management in the Arizona Strip, including Vermillion Cliffs National Monument.
The restrictions ban campfires or open fires outside of maintained campgrounds in southwest Utah, and cabins or homes on unincorporated private land are required to have running water. Use of charcoal, coal or wood stoves is also prohibited, except on developed recreation or improved sites.
Moreover, according to the release, the restrictions prohibit smoking and the use of acetylene torches or cutting tools near dry vegetation. They further ban target shooting involving exploding targets and tracer ammunition. Fireworks on all public and federal lands are also outlawed.
National Park Service officials have imposed stricter stage two restrictions at Zion National Park’s Watchman Campground, where no open fires will be allowed. However, campfires at the park’s Lava Point are permitted if they are confined to established fire rings, park spokesman Matthew Fink said.
“We strongly urge all visitors to take personal responsibility in preventing wildfires while enjoying Zion National Park,” Fink added. “In short, use your ‘Fire Sense;’ if you think your actions are creating the risk of fire, then adjust your behavior accordingly. Every visitor plays a role in protecting this beautiful landscape from devastating wildfires.”
Campfires are also allowed at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in fire rings or circles in established campgrounds that are devoid of vegetation and below the high-water mark, according to federal and state officials.
(National Interagency Fire Center) The June 2025 outlook shows above-average wildfire potential throughout much of southern Utah and northern Arizona.
Kayli Guild, prevention and fire communications coordinator with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, said the restrictions put in place this year come nearly three weeks earlier than the ones imposed on June 21 of last year and more than a month earlier than the ones mandated on July 3 in 2023.
Part of that, she explained, is due to much of southern Utah and northern Arizona being mired in either severe or extreme drought. In addition, the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, is predicting an above-average wildfire season for this month and July for many areas of southern Utah and northern Arizona.
“All the fire managers decided they had better pull the trigger [on implementing restrictions] so people would realize how dry the area is,” Guild said. “We are currently seeing a lot of really dry fuels, and it is super important for us to get ahead of it.”
Last year, 1,244 wildfires — 710 of them human-caused —torched more than 29,000 acres in Utah, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. Thus far, there have been 218 wildfires in Utah, compared to 147 at this same time a year ago, Guild said.
Thirty-five of those fires occurred in Garfield, Kane, Iron, and Washington counties, and all but four were caused by humans,” Guild added.
For more information about wildfire and prevention, visit www.utahfireinfo.gov or on Twitter @UtahWildfire.
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