Red-hot fire danger sparks restrictions

Southern Utah already has felt the heat of fire season, and if weather patterns continue, plants in the northern part of the state will dry out and become susceptible to fires.

That's why Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. kicked off the annual "Do your part, don't start wildfires" campaign Thursday to encourage Utahns to be safe with fire this summer.

"We cannot let our wet winter and spring lull us into a sense of complacency," Huntsman said at a news conference in City Creek Canyon.

The governor and a number of wildland and fire experts explained the danger of the summer season.

State forester Joel Frandsen said the primary danger is cheatgrass, which normally grows 5 to 8 inches tall. This year, in many parts of the state, cheatgrass is growing 2 feet tall or more.

A normal acre of the non-native plant would weigh 800 pounds, but this year an acre is about 2,000 pounds.

And it's drying out.

In 2004, Huntsman said, there were more than 900 fires in Utah, and they cost the state $4.3 million

Normally, lightning and humans each cause about half of the season's wildfires.

But the numbers of human-caused fires have dropped over the past five years, said Jim Thomas, a fire management officer with the Wasatch-Cache National Forest.

At the height of Utah's drought in 2004, there were 31 fireworks-caused fires, Huntsman said, the lowest number of such fires since the drought started.

To combat fire danger, some counties are imposing fireworks restrictions.

Most of the cities between Salt Lake City and Draper are allowing residents to use fireworks where they want, as long as they keep them within existing state guidelines.

Utah's chief deputy fire marshal, Brent Halladay, said his office has an approved list of fireworks that can be used in the state.

The rule of thumb, he said, is that people can't use anything that explodes, shoots more than 15 feet in the air or travels more than 10 feet on the ground.

Fireworks that exceed Utah's guidelines often are bought in Wyoming and brought to Utah.

"If you didn't buy it in Utah, then don't light it in Utah," Huntsman said.

The state fire marshal is in charge of testing all the fireworks being sold at fireworks stands to ensure compliance.