Due to dry conditions that are becoming prevalent throughout Chaffee County, a long-range forecast predicting little to no moisture, as well as persistent gusty winds, unincorporated Chaffee County will be moving into Stage 1 Fire Restrictions effective at 6:00 a.m. Friday, April 29, 2022.
Stage 1 fire restrictions prohibit building, maintaining, or attending any open fire.
Campfires are a mainstay of camping, but poorly managed fires are a significant risk for major wildfires. Image: Unsplash/Colter Olmstead.
Excluded from Stage 1 Fire Restrictions, therefore still allowed in this stage are:
- Campfires within a permanent constructed ring or fire grate, 3 feet in diameter maximum, in a developed public campground, public picnic ground, commercial campground, or on private property. An example of a permanently constructed ring would be a cement ring that is not movable. Rocks lining a fire pit are not considered permanent and therefore in violation.
- LP gas or liquid fueled stoves that allow the operator to turn the appliance on or off.
- Fireplaces within enclosed buildings equipped with fire screens on the flue.
- Charcoal grill fires at private residences.
This fire ban also prohibits the burning of debris piles, slash piles, ditches, and agricultural lands.
This fire ban applies to all unincorporated areas within Chaffee County. Note that this fire ban also includes the incorporated Town of Buena Vista, due to the fact that Chaffee Fire now provides fire services to the Town of Buena Vista. It does not include the incorporated municipalities of Salida and Poncha Springs. It also does not include any federal land under USFS or BLM jurisdiction.
A reminder that all BLM lands in Chaffee County are currently under Stage 1 Fire Restrictions as well. U.S. Forest Service lands have no restrictions at this time.
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