Fire Restrictions to move to Stage I Wednesday

COEUR d’ALENE — Recent rain and lower temperatures have reduced fire danger across the Panhandle, prompting land managers to move from Stage II to Stage I fire restrictions in the Coeur d’Alene Dispatch Zone beginning at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30.

Fire restrictions act to reduce preventable fires where they’re implemented.

Under the Stage I Fire Restrictions, the following will be prohibited:

• Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire or stove fire except within a designated recreation site or on one’s own land and only within an owner-provided fire structure.

• Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, building, or designated recreation site. Or while stopped in an area with at least a three to feet in diameter area that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.

Stage I Exemptions: (An exemption does not absolve an individual or organization from liability or responsibility for any fire started by an exempted activity.)

• Acting with a written permit that specifically authorizes an otherwise prohibited act.

• Using a fire solely fueled by liquid petroleum or LPG fuels. Fueled devices, including propane campfires, may be used only in an area cleared of flammable material.

• Using a stove fire at least a 5-foot chimney and employing a spark arrester with a mesh screen opening of at most ¼ inch.

The Coeur d’Alene Dispatch Zone includes all state, state endowment, federal, tribal and private forestland and rangeland in Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties. The zone also includes National Forest System lands in Washington and Montana, which are administered by the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.

Fire restrictions are coordinated by agencies managing lands or providing wildland fire protection in the area, including the Bureau of Land Management, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Idaho Department of Lands, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Despite several active fires in the Panhandle, the recent rain and lower temperatures have lowered fire dangers to reduce restrictions.

With campfires allowed in permanent fire rings on designated recreation sites and private land, hunters and recreationists are still urged to use caution.

Never leave a campfire unattended, and make sure it is cold to the touch before walking away.

Visit www.idl.idaho.gov for a current map of fire restrictions.

Never use fireworks on state and private forestland and rangeland or on public lands, roads, and trails. Possession and/or use of fireworks is always prohibited on federal public lands.

Burn permits are required for debris burning during closed fire season (May 10 to Oct. 20) and will be issued as conditions allow.

Currently, no burn permits are being issued for the Coeur d’Alene Fire Restriction Area. Contact your local Idaho Department of Lands office for specific information, or see burnpermits.idaho.gov