Fire restrictions in effect

COEUR d’ALENE — The Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced that due to extreme fire risk, Stage 1 fire restrictions are now in place on all IDFG-owned and managed lands across the state.

The restriction applies to residents’ use of fires and to smoking outdoors, said a press release from IDFG spokesman Roger Phillips.

According to the release, residents who want to have a fire, campfire, or stove fire may only do so if the fire is within what the department calls an owner-provided fire structure. IDFG defined owner-provided fire structures as “A permanent metal and concrete improvement specifically designed for the purpose of containing a campfire or cooking fire, provided by the agency or landowner, with a clearance of 10 feet on all sides that is free of any flammable vegetation. This does not include a metal fire pan.”

The restriction applies to fires on private property as well as those within designated recreation sites and within fire structures provided by the department.

Smoking is likewise restricted to enclosed vehicles or buildings, developed recreation sites, and areas at least 3 feet in diameter that are “barren or cleared of all flammable materials.”

The restrictions do not apply within city limits, to “persons using fire fueled solely by liquid petroleum or LPG fuels,” to “persons conducting activities in those designated areas where the activity is specifically authorized by written posted notice,” to firefighters or officers in the line of duty, or to “persons with a written permit that specifically authorizes the otherwise prohibited act.”

The restrictions will continue until further notice, added the release. For questions, contact the IDFG Panhandle regional office at 208-769-1414.