The Buffalo Field Office of the U.S. Bureau of Land management has placed partial fire restrictions on the lands it administers in Sheridan, Johnson and Campbell counties due to dry conditions and high fire danger, according to a news release.

The BLM is working with the counties to coordinate these restrictions.

Under a partial closure the following acts are prohibited:

  • Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire or campfire except within agency-provided fire grates at developed recreation sites, or within fully enclosed stoves with a quarter-inch spark arrester-type screen, or within fully enclosed grills, or in stoves using pressurized liquid or gas.
  • Smoking, except in an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or in a three-foot diameter area barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
  • Operating a chainsaw without a USDA- or SAE-approved spark arrester properly installed and working, a chemical fire extinguisher at least eight ounces capacity by weight, and one round-point shovel at least three feet long.
  • Using a welder, either arc or gas, or operating acetylene or other torch with open flame, except in cleared areas at least 10 feet in diameter, with a chemical pressurized fire extinguisher of at least eight ounces capacity.

These fire restrictions are in addition to the year-round wildfire prevention restrictions on BLM-administered public lands in Wyoming:

  • Discharge or use of any fireworks.
  • Discharge of a firearm using incendiary or tracer ammunition.
  • Burn, ignite or cause to burn any tire, wire, magnesium, or any other hazardous or explosive material.
  • Operate any off-road vehicle on public lands unless the vehicle is equipped with a properly installed spark arrester.

Violation of this fire prevention order is punishable by a fine of not more than $100,000, or imprisonment of not more than 12 months, or both.

Those found responsible for starting wildfires also will pay for putting them out.

For more information about fire rules and restrictions on federal lands and local areas, visit the BLM's website.

Local BLM field offices are open Monday through Friday between 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

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