Fire Ban Adopted

At the request of Fremont County Sheriff Jim Beicker, the Fremont County Board of Commissioners this week approved a resolution adopting a fire ban for unincorporated rural areas of Fremont County. With the fire ban, Stage One fire restrictions were put into effect immediately. Sheriff Beicker said that while he recognizes that springtime is a busy time when people want to do a lot of agricultural burning, many parts of the county are extremely dry and at high risk for wild land fire.

Beicker noted that the Deer Mountain Fire District and the Florence Fire Protection District have already enacted fire bans within their own boundaries. The Canon City Fire Protection District has not adopted a fire ban but strictly enforces agricultural and open burning only through a permit system.

Stage One fire restrictions basically prohibit all open burning including agricultural burning and trash. Smoking is prohibited outdoors along with the use of any explosives or fireworks. Charcoal and propane grills are permitted if they are contained. Open campfires are permitted only in established recreation areas and campgrounds. Outdoor welding and grinding is allowed only if fire protection and suppression equipment (water) is nearby.

The complete list of what is prohibited and what is permitted under Stage One fire restrictions is accessible on the home page of www.fremontco.com.