Fire danger is now extreme and the Bitterroot National Forest has implemented Stage 2 Fire Restrictions as of July 19, due to record setting temperatures and dry fuel conditions.
“We will be moving directly into Stage 2 fire restrictions this season,” said Mark Wilson, Fire Staff Officer. “We decided not to implement Stage 1 restrictions and immediately go to the highest level because we currently meet the conditions for Stage 2.”
Fire restrictions are intended to decrease the chance of preventable, human-caused fires in the designated areas.
Stage 2 Fire Restrictions will remain in effect until rescinded for all Bitterroot National Forest lands in Montana including Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Areas in Montana. This Order does not apply to National Forest Service lands administered by the Bitterroot National Forest within the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness and NFS lands within the Idaho portion of the Selway-Bitterroot and Frank Church Wilderness Complex administered by the Bitterroot National Forest.
STAGE II FIRE RESTRICTIONS:
The following acts are prohibited on the National Forest System (NFS) lands in the Bitterroot National Forest until further notice:
• Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire or stove fire.
• Smoking, except within 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 closed of all flammable materials.
• Welding or operating an acetylene or other torch with open flame.
• Operating an Internal Combustion Engine.
Exemptions:
The following persons are exempt from this Order:
• Persons with Forest Service Permit (Permit for Use of Roads, Trails, or Areas Restricted by Regulation or Order), specifically exempting them from this Order or a written determination by a Forest Service authorized officer that a permit is not required. If such authorization provides for operation of an Internal Combustion Engine or welding or operating an acetylene or other torch with open flame, such acts are prohibited from the hours of 1:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. each day. Outside of these hours, a one-hour foot patrol in the work area is required following cessation of these activities.
• Persons using a device solely fueled by liquid petroleum or LPG fuels that can be turned on and off. Such devices can only be used in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within three feet of the device.
• Operating generators with an approved spark arresting device within an enclosed vehicle or building or in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within three feet of the generator.
• Operating motorized vehicles on designated roads and trails, unless such road or trail is otherwise closed or restricted.
• Emergency repair of public utilities and railroads.
• Any Federal, State, or Local Officer, or member of an organized rescue or firefighting service in the performance of an official duty.
More information regarding this Order may be obtained at the Bitterroot National Forest Supervisor’s Office in Hamilton, MT, 406-363-7100. This Order supersedes any previous Orders prohibiting the same or similar acts in the same described area.
“With our current conditions and predicted weather, we all need to do everything we can to prevent additional wildfires from starting,” said Matthew H. Young, Deputy Fire Staff Officer. “We are asking the public to recreate responsibly and adhere to these restrictions.”
For more information about fires in Montana and other fires across the country, visit http://inciweb.nwcg.gov