JACKSON, Wyo. — As warm temperatures and high winds continue across the West, the National Interagency Fire Center announced that it has increased the national preparedness level to level 2 (on a scale of 1 to 5).
Much of the state of Wyoming is under a Red Flag Warning today, which also covers parts of Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska and Colorado, meaning critical fire weather conditions are imminent due to strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temps.
“Several geographic areas are experiencing increased fire activity and are beginning to draw on national resources to support incident objectives,” National Interagency Fire Center posted Friday. “At the same time, the system remains stable, with enough capacity to meet current needs while staying ready for what may come next. Over the past week, 821 fires were reported nationwide, with 47 new large incidents and 28 large fires still uncontained. Most activity is centered in the Southern and Rocky Mountain areas, where seasonal conditions are allowing fires to emerge and spread.”
The valley saw its first notable fire activity of the year last week when an agricultural burn escaped containment and spread rapidly over 3 acres in Wilson. Jackson Hole Fire/EMS referred to the incident as Teton County’s first wildfire of the season.
Some Teton County firefighters joined a group of Cowboy State first responders on a two-week stint in Nebraska to fight the Morrill Fire earlier this month, according to Sweetwater Now.
Over in Idaho, Teton County Fire and Rescue posted to social media today that it has suspended open burning permits for the next two days “due to unseasonably dry, breezy weather.” The agency reminds Idahoans that those who light a fire illegally can be held liable for the cost of extinguishing it.
Last week, Jackson Hole Fire/EMS posted to social media that wildland fire season is beginning “earlier than normal, and extra caution while burning is essential.” The agency reminds those considering an open burn to follow these safety rules:
- Dispatch must be called and notified every day the fire will be burning. The phone number is (307) 733-2331.
- The burn pile must be at least 50 feet from any structure or combustibles, including buildings, cars and vegetation.
- The pile size cannot exceed 1,000 cubic feet in size.
- Burning materials with paint, resins, glues, stains or other manufactured coatings is forbidden.
- A responsible person must be present and attending the fire at all times. Dispatch requests a cell phone contact number for that person.
- There must be a method to extinguish the fire at the burn site. That can be a garden hose connected to a water supply, one large or multiple fire extinguishers, or equipment to move dirt, sand or snow.
- All open burns must be conducted during daylight hours, and mornings are suggested because wind typically picks up during the afternoon.
- If the wind is blowing, do not burn. Fires must be put out if wind is blowing more than 10 mph.
“Your attention and care help protect our community, our responders and our wildland landscape,” Fire/EMS posted.
