Mesa County Sheriff Lifts Fire Restriction Effective Immediately
It probably comes as no surprise the recent snowfall and mild temperatures have prompted the Mesa County Sheriff's Office and Bureau of Land Management to lift the current fire restrictions.
The 2020 fire season is not something anyone is going to forget anytime soon. What a nightmare. Thankfully, the rain, snow, shorter days, and longer and colder nights have made it possible for restrictions to be lifted.
According to a Facebook post from the Mesa County Sheriff's Office, current conditions have "significantly improved" the moisture levels in vegetation responsible for rapid-fire growth. As a result, the Mesa County Sheriff and the BLM Grand Junction Field Office chose to lift current fire restrictions as of 12:01 this morning, Friday, October 30, 2020.
Is this cause for celebration? Hold on for a moment. According to the MCSO post:
While conditions permit fire restrictions to be lifted, Mesa County is still experiencing extreme and exceptional drought conditions.
The post also states agencies implement fire restrictions based on a number of criteria including:
- moisture content of vegetation
- weather outlooks
- human risk factors
- firefighting resource availability
I vote we never have a fire season like this again. Colorado set records for wildfires, only to have those records immediately broken. As bad as it has been, it's scary to think it could have been worse. Let us not forget some fires are still burning.
What can Colorado residents do to insure we never have a fire season like this again? Here are a few suggestions from the MCSO:
- Never leave a fire unattended
- Ensure fire pits and campfires are completely out and cold to the touch
- Properly dispose of cigarettes
- When pulling a trailer, make sure the chains and other metal parts aren’t dragging
- Burning trash is NEVER permitted
- Fireworks are never permitted on federal land
- Wood fires are never permitted anywhere on the Colorado National Monument
Please keep in mind things can change in an instant. Agencies will continue to monitor conditions and restrictions will be adjusted if and when things change. In the meantime, stay up to speed with the latest info on fire restrictions with the Interactive Fire Restrictions Map.