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Officials enact Stage 1 fire restrictions for national forests along northern Front Range

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Posted at 4:45 PM, Dec 01, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-01 18:48:09-05

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Officials have enacted fire restrictions for national forests along the northern Front Range.

The Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests’ Clear Creek, Boulder and Canyon Lakes ranger districts, along with the Pawnee National Grassland, announced Stage 1 fire restrictions for the areas, effective Dec. 1.

Under the restrictions, the following actions are prohibited:

  • Igniting, building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire (including fires fueled by charcoal or briquettes) outside of a permanent metal or concrete fire pit or grate that the Forest Service has installed and maintained at its developed recreation sites (campgrounds and picnic areas).
  • Smoking, except in an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
  • Operating a chainsaw without an effective and properly installed spark arrestor, a fire extinguisher kept with the operator, and a shovel.
  • Blasting, welding, or operating a torch with an open flame without being in a cleared area of at least 10 feet in diameter and having a fire extinguisher kept with the operator.
  • Using an explosive. This includes but is not limited to fuses, blasting caps, fireworks, rockets, exploding targets, tracers, and incendiary ammunition. (Fireworks are always prohibited on National Forest lands).

Dry and warm conditions, along with recent fire starts, sparked the need for such restrictions.

Violations of the restrictions could result in a maximum fine of $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, imprisonment for more than six months, or both a fine and imprisonment.

Those found responsible for causing a wildfire could also be held accountable for the costs of suppressing the fire.

To view fire restriction orders and maps, click here.