Stage 1 fire restrictions issued for multiple southwest Utah counties

ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — As summer heats up and the fire season gets into full swing, Utah has issued a Stage 1 Fire Restriction order for Washington, Kane and Garfield Counties.

“Due to current and forecasted weather conditions coupled with the extremely dry vegetation conditions in Southwest Utah, the State forester, in consultation with the county commission of the affected county, has determined that measures must be taken to prevent the ignition of forest and rangeland fire,” the order reads, in part.

Under the fire restrictions, the public is prohibited from having any open fires of any kind except for within established public facilities in campgrounds and picnic areas or in permanently constructed fire pits.

The restrictions also prohibit fireworks, tracer ammunition, exploding targets, smoking, and cutting, welding, or grinding metal in areas with dry vegetation.

Anyone found in violation of the fire restriction order could face up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

Southwest Utah forecast

It’s been a hot week for southern Utah. The National Weather Service reports St. George hit triple-digit temperatures over the weekend, with highs as hot as 102 degrees on Friday, May 30.

ABC4’s 4Warn Weather Team temperatures will stay warm in the area throughout the upcoming week. Daytime temperatures will hover in the high-80s and the low-90s before returning to triple digits for the weekend.

Most notably, southern Utah will also see a storm move into the region. This storm is expected to bring a band of heavy rainfall and favorable ingredients for thunderstorms, which have a chance of sparking lightning-caused fires.

Wildfires in Utah

Utah has had 215 fire starts that have burned over 1,200 so far in the 2025 fire season as of June 2, according to Utah Fire Info. Data shows 171 of those fires were human-caused, burning over 730 acres.

In 2024, more than 90,600 acres burned across Utah with 1,244 reported wildfires. Over 700 of those fires were human-caused, burning a total of 29,059 acres.

As of writing, there are only two active fires in the Southwest Utah area, including one new start in Garfield County. Utah Fire Info said the Garfield County fire sparked just before 3 p.m. on June 1 and has so far burned a tenth of an acre. Another fire in Iron County, just north of Washington County, also sparked on Sunday afternoon, and similarly burned a tenth of an acre.