Summer is starting to roll in and with that the Sedona Fire District along with the Coconino National Forest and Yavapai County implemented Stage 1 fire restrictions for the Sedona area on Friday, May 30.

Prescott National Forest staff had also announced that the forest would implement Stage 1 fire restrictions on Thursday, May 29, citing rapidly drying wildland fuels and above-normal predicted fire potential for June, and that its restrictions would include a ban on discharging firearms. Fireworks are always prohibited within all national forests.

While the national forests and the city are currently under Stage 1 fire restrictions, Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Red Rock State Park, Rockin’ River Ranch State Park and National Park Service locations within the Verde Valley are under Stage 2 restrictions. Stage 2 fire restrictions are also in effect on state trust lands across Arizona, except for those within Coconino County, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management website.

Stage 1 fire restrictions around Sedona prohibit building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, including campfires or stove fires, except in U.S. Forest Service developed recreation sites, not including dispersed camping areas. Smoking is permitted only in enclosed vehicles or buildings or in designated developed recreation sites on USFS-managed forest lands.

“I think it’s going to be a little while,” SFD Deputy Fire Marshal Kirk Riddell said on whether the district would impose Stage 2 restrictions, citing a chance of precipitation in the short-term weather forecast. “A lot of our decision-making is based on what the Coconino National Forest does, since that’s the biggest concern in our area. If they start seeing increased fire activity, particularly from unattended campfires, that could prompt a move to Stage 2 restrictions … If conditions continue to dry out and the number of incidents increases, the forest could move to Stage 2, and when they do, we’ll follow suit immediately.”

Riddell said on the morning of Monday, June 2, that the restrictions would remain in effect in spite of recent precipitation.

“Unless the Coconino National Forest lifts theirs, which I don’t see, this is going to be a short-lived storm, and then we’re going to be right back into drying out and the heat,” Riddell said.

As of press time, the National Weather Service had forecast a 30% chance of rain for Wednesday, June 4, followed by no additional precipitation and temperatures of up to 98 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, June 8.

“The big thing is that you are allowed to have a warming fire on your property, but there are restrictions,” Riddell said. “It can’t be larger than three feet in diameter and two feet tall, and it must be made with dried wood only — no construction materials, no trash, nothing else. Open campfires outside of designated campgrounds are prohibited. You can have a campfire in a developed campground, but we don’t want people building fires on the edge of town or just heading into the woods and starting one — that’s not allowed.”

“When you’re in town, it really comes down to common sense,” Riddell said. “For example, someone called to report a person smoking a cigarette in front of Safeway during Stage 1 restrictions. Realistically, that’s not going to start a wildfire … The concern is more about people smoking out in the woods or in outlying areas, where it poses a real fire risk. At your own home or in town, use good judgment. But out in the forest, smoking is not allowed — and that’s where we really need people to follow the rules.”

Riddell added that SFD burn permitting closed on Friday morning and will remain closed until the fall, when officials will reevaluate the program for reopening.

Stage I Allowances

Allowed under Stage 1 restrictions: Petroleum-fueled stoves, lanterns and heaters that meet safety standards; charcoal grills and wood smokers on private property with tight-fitting lids; devices fueled by liquid petroleum, LPG or LNG if flames can be quickly extinguished; and recreational firearm use.

Stage 1 restrictions can vary by area; the Prescott National Forest does not permit discharging a firearm, air rifle or gas gun under Stage 1; Coconino National Forest allows discharging a firearm when conducting a hunt with a permit.

For more information, call the U.S. Forest Service Fire Restrictions Hotline (928) 226-4607 or visit yavapaiready.gov/fireban.