FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The U.S. Forest Service will be restricting the use of cars on roads around Flagstaff to further prevent the risk of more wildfires.
Starting on June 21, the Coconino National Forest will be implementing Stage 2 fire restrictions as the threat of wildfires begins to heighten due to the hot, dry weather.
“The forest is definitely in a lot drier and hotter conditions. June is our worst month," Brady Smith with the Coconino National Forest said.
Stage 2 restrictions will also be imposed in Navajo and Apache counties, though not in the lower deserts where many fires have already burned.
Officials said the restrictions are being put into place because of the fire behavior in the fires burning in Northern Arizona.
“When we're getting fire starts, the fire behavior is very intensified," the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management's Tiffany Davila said. "On top of the hot and dry conditions up there, really were the driving factors as to why we're putting stage two into effect.”
For the first time this year, this level of restrictions includes regulating the use of motor vehicles on certain roads in areas throughout the Coconino National Forest.
“We made the decision two years ago to restrict motor vehicle access to particularly sensitive areas during Stage 2 restrictions to prevent human-caused wildfires,” District Ranger Matt McGrath said in a statement. “It’s notoriously difficult for firefighters to quickly suppress fires located in some areas of the district due to topography, high wind speeds and other geographic challenges.”
Driving will be prohibited on certain roads within the Flagstaff Ranger District, including roads near the San Francisco Peaks area, Pumphouse Wash area and Marshall Lake area.
A violation of the fire restrictions could result in a mandatory appearance in a federal court, fines or jail time.
Other Stage 2 restrictions throughout the forest include the following:
- Igniting and building a fire (including charcoal and briquettes) anywhere within the Coconino National Forest, including developed recreation sites. This prohibition includes smudge pots and wood stoves. But propane and gas stoves are allowed, as long as they can be turned off.
- Smoking is only allowed in an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area at least 3 feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of any flammable material.
- Blasting, welding or operating an acetylene or other torch with an open flame.
- Operating a generator, chainsaw or other equipment powered by an internal combustion engine during industrial operations or firewood gathering (with the exemption of generators equipped with an approved spark-arresting device in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within 3 feet of the generator).
Stage 2 restrictions typically remain in place for at least 28 days in the Coconino National Forest. A large amount of precipitation could help scale back the restrictions.
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