Heat, drought prompt ban on open fires

By Steve Miller, Journal Staff Writer | Saturday, July 30, 2005

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With temperatures climbing again after a cool, wet spell earlier this week, the U.S. Forest Service has banned most open fires on the Buffalo Gap and Fort Pierre national grasslands and the Bearlodge Ranger District of the Black Hills National Forest in Wyoming.

Don Bright, supervisor of the Nebraska National Forest, on Thursday announced the open burning ban for the two national grasslands in South Dakota, as well as the Nebraska and Samuel R. McKelvie national forests and the Oglala National Grassland in Nebraska.

Black Hills National Forest supervisor Craig Bobzien announced the Bearlodge burn ban Thursday.

Both cited drought and extreme high temperatures. Bright also said the good crop of grass now curing under high temperatures could provide an abundance of fuel for a fire.

Fires in both areas are restricted to those in designated campgrounds and picnic grounds.

A ban on open burning is already in place on national forest system lands in South Dakota under the state of South Dakota's Black Hills Forest Fire Protection District.

The fire protection district includes territory west of the Chicago Northwestern Railroad line from the southwest corner of the state, through Hot Springs, Hermosa and Rapid City and west of Interstate 90 from Black Hawk to Spearfish and the Wyoming border.

The U.S. Forest Service and the state issue burn permits for things such as burning slash piles and campfires. Any open burning within the fire protection district must be approved by the state or the federal government.

Pennington, Meade and Fall River counties have also imposed bans on open burning. Butte County is considering a burn ban, a county official said.

After the cool, rainy weather early this week, the fire danger began climbing again, according to Beth Hermanson, fire information officer with the South Dakota Division of Wildland Fire Suppression.

On Friday, fire danger was listed as extreme on the prairies and moderate in the Black Hills, Hermanson said in a phone interview. "It's going up," she said.

The fire danger for this weekend will depend on the heat index and wind, Hermanson said. The National Weather Service is calling for high temperatures in the 90s both today and Sunday.

Major fires in the area broke out over the past three weekends, with the Ricco Fire starting July 8; fires near Hill City, on Skyline Drive and on the prairies on July 16; and the Sundance complex of fires last weekend.

The new fire order on the Buffalo Gap and Fort Pierre national grasslands, in addition to banning most open burning, also prohibits the following actions:

-- Smoking, unless inside an enclosed vehicle or building, or in a developed Forest Service recreation site.

-- Welding or operating a torch or open flame.

-- Operating an internal or external combustion engine without an approved spark arrestor.

-- Using fireworks or explosives.

The restrictions limit motorized travel to existing roads and trails. Using gas or propane cook stoves or heating devices is allowed.

"We don't want to discourage people from enjoying the national forest and grasslands, but it's important they realize that extra caution is needed to prevent wildfires when hot, dry conditions coupled with unusually high quantities of fuels create high fire danger," Forest Service spokesman Jerry Schumacher said.

The restrictions went into effect Friday and will be lifted Oct. 31 unless conditions improve and justify lifting them earlier, according to a news release from the forest headquarters in Chadron. If hot, dry and windy conditions persist, further restrictions could be imposed, Schumacher said.

Anyone with questions about the fire danger or restrictions can call Forest Service offices in Chadron, 308-432-4475; Hot Springs, 745-4107; Wall, 279-2125; or Fort Pierre, 224-5517.

The ban on fires in the Bearlodge Ranger District will remain in effect until further notice, according to a news release from the forest headquarters in Custer.

Bobzien's order prohibits "building, maintaining, attending, or using a campfire, charcoal broiler, or a coal or wood stove without a permit except in a Forest Service designated developed campground, picnic ground, or in an area posted by a Forest Officer authorizing fires within that area."

Petroleum fueled stoves, lanterns or heating devices do not require permits if the equipment meets the fire underwriters specifications for safety, according to the news release.

Violations of fire restrictions are punishable by a maximum of six months in prison and fines as much as $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations. Violators also can be assessed the costs of fire suppression.