Hunters urged to beware of fire restrictions in Clark County and surrounding areas

DUBOIS – As archery hunting season gets underway this week, Clark County Emergency Manager Sheree Farr is reminding people to be aware of fire restrictions on public lands.

As of Aug. 7, stage 1 fire restrictions are in effect for public lands in eastern Idaho. In conjunction with that, many counties have a burn ban in effect through Sept.30.

RELATED | Fire restrictions put in place for eastern Idaho due to ‘extremely dry’ conditions

RELATED | Burn ban in effect for Madison County through September

While the restriction is in place, building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire or stove fire is not allowed, unless it’s within a designated recreation site and in a permanent concrete or metal fire ring, or on private land.

Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, building, or designated recreation site, is also prohibited. Exemptions to this restriction are listed on the U.S. Forest Service’s website.

Sixty-two percent of Clark County is federally-owned, including Caribou-Targhee National Forest and Camas National Wildlife Refuge. This makes it a popular place for hunters and recreators to be, and Farr is reminding the public to be good stewards of the land.

“Be mindful of the fire danger and that the fuels are super dry,” Farr tells EastIdahoNews.com. “Follow the guidelines and the restrictions and the burn bans to keep the fires at bay.”

Several recent fires in surrounding counties prompted this public reminder. The latest update from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management shows the lightning-caused Sand Creek Fire about eight miles west of Ashton in Fremont County is now fully contained. It burned about 850 acres when it broke out on Aug. 15.

Farr cites other fires in the areas, including a controlled burn in Jefferson County this week and the Willow Creek Fire near Afton, Wyoming, inside Bridger-Teton National Forest.

RELATED | Willow Creek Fire grows to nearly 4,000 acres

During dry conditions when daytime highs are in the 90s, Farr says it doesn’t take much for fires to start. She’s urging hunters to be careful.

“All it takes is a little spark (from a vehicle) or something,” Farr explains. “Hunters like to build fires when they go camping but (fire restrictions need to be followed).”

“Leaving a campfire unattended isn’t just dangerous for the forest — it’s against the law and could lead to a fine,” officials with Caribou-Targhee National Forest adds in a recent Facebook post. “Abandoned campfires are one of the leading causes of wildfires, putting communities, wildlife, and firefighters at risk.

The National Weather Service in Pocatello is forecasting highs in the upper 80s to low 90s throughout the weekend. A shift in weather patterns is expected to begin Sunday in Utah with threats of heavy rainfall for eastern Idaho on Monday and lasting through Wednesday.

“By Tuesday, all of East Idaho is under a marginal risk for excessive rainfall. Remember that any thunderstorm can significantly increase the rainfall amounts at any location,” the NWS says Sunday on its Facebook page.

The latest weather conditions and a complete seven-day forecast in your community are available here.

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