Ahead of next week’s Pioneer Day festivities, the Wasatch Fire District says it is restricting where fireworks can be used – but other than that, no changes are planned for other fire activity.
Fireworks are now banned in parts of unincorporated Wasatch County in addition to the existing ban in the wildland-urban interface.
Fire Chief Eric Hales said the fire district works with municipalities like Heber and Midway to identify high-risk areas and recommend any restrictions within city limits. He said residents should check their municipality’s website for up-to-date information.
Though they’ve redrawn the fireworks map, county officials said they don’t yet see a need to implement broader fire restrictions.
“Looking at the criteria that we use to go into fire restrictions, we’re just not quite there yet,” Fire Warden Troy Morgan said. “We’re not seeing an abundance of human starts, although we’ve had a few.”
Hales said fireworks sparked 12 fires on July 4. Three of those were dumpster fires caused by too-hot fireworks, and nine were grassfires caused by fireworks.
Summit County Fire Warden Bryce Boyer said there were no fireworks-related fires in Summit County on Independence Day.
In a discussion with the Wasatch County Council Wednesday, July 17, Morgan said he’s not ruling out eventual restrictions, but he recommended leaving levels as they are and “seeing what happens” after a week or so.
“Maybe looking at it after Pioneer Day, seeing what happens and maybe readdressing in August,” he said. “The problem we’re having is there’s just no moisture in the forecast. Things are drying out rapidly, and when we are seeing fires, they’re going fairly fast.”
The Wasatch County Council approved the fire district’s recommendations and new firework map.
Campfires, welding and barbeques are still allowed. Hales noted residents will need permits for agricultural burns.
He urged everyone to use common sense and pay attention to the weather.
“We’re on top of it and trying to determine, how do we best navigate allowing people to celebrate the holiday as well as keeping them safe?” he said. “If it’s windy during the times that they can allow legal fireworks to be discharged, they probably shouldn’t. They shouldn’t light them off in a field.”
The new fireworks map comes just days after two fires started at the Heber Valley Airport on the same day.
The first blaze began after airport employees used noisemaker-type fireworks to scare away deer.
Heber City manager Matt Brower said a second fire started hours later after a bird flew into a power box.
“Bird was fried,” he said.
He said the airport has been directed to reconsider how it handles wildlife in the wake of the incidents.
His colleague, Councilmember Yvonne Barney, worried aloud at a city council meeting Tuesday, July 16, about the abundance of wildfire fuel in the Heber Valley, including dry grass and weeds in neighborhoods.
“It is dry, bone dry,” she said. “I’m worried that even if somebody walks by and flicks a cigarette out of their car, it’ll go up. It’s dry, dry, dry.”
Brower said the city has been working hard to enforce weed removal to help rob potential fires of fuel. Right now, there are no firework restrictions in Heber.
In neighboring Summit County, fireworks and explosives are banned due to “extreme” fire danger. Within Park City limits, permits are required for any open flames, like fire pits, through November. Fires are otherwise prohibited.
Hales said Wasatch County residents can get up-to-date information about fire conditions on social media or local government websites.
In cases of extreme fire danger, the fire district partners with the county’s emergency management notification system to alert residents.
