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SALT LAKE CITY — Brian Steed admired the foothills surrounding him as he stood near the mouth of City Creek Canyon Thursday, a warm breeze passing by.
The sprawling hills surrounding Utah's capital city are one of the reasons Steed, the executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, calls Utah the home of the "best natural resources and the best natural amenities" he's ever seen. However, he cautions that living around this scenery comes with major risks, especially in the summer.
"As you look at a day like today, where it's windy, hot and dry — those are the perfect conditions for a catastrophic set of circumstances," he said of the state's wildfire risks. "We all have a responsibility ... to help exercise good fire sense to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and to not burn the state down."
That's a message that Utah leaders plan to heavily push over the next month, especially as Utah nears the Fourth of July and Pioneer Day holidays, the two summer holidays where fireworks can be launched. Class C fireworks go on sale in the state Friday for these holidays.
It's why Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, along with a group of state and local leaders and experts gathered at the mouth of the canyon Thursday to talk about fire safety during firework season. The governor insists that personal fireworks are fine this year but only at the right time and setting.
"Using fireworks in nonapproved areas — near dry grass and brush — and not having a proper way to extinguish a fire has been disastrous in the past and could be again this year," he said. "If you're open to just skipping fireworks, it's a great year to do that. But if you are going to use fireworks, you have to use them responsibly."
Though Utahns can purchase fireworks on Friday, they cannot be lit anywhere legally in the state until July 2, ahead of Independence Day, and in places approved by state and local governments. The window for the holiday closes on July 5. There's another open window from July 22 to July 25 for the Pioneer Day holiday.
There are other caveats. First, fireworks can only be lit between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. during those days, or until midnight on July 4 and July 24.
Second, fireworks can only be launched in areas approved by local governments or the state. They're banned on all public land managed by federal or state agencies, as well as unincorporated areas. Most cities and towns ban fireworks where they are most likely to result in fires, such as foothills, riverbeds and other open spaces near dry vegetation.
Violations of the state law can result in a fine of up to $1,000 plus possible additional costs if illegal discharge results in a fire.
Utah's holiday fire risk
Both July holidays have always come with the risk of sparking wildfires, but it's been trickier the past few years because of the ongoing drought that's made the state even drier than normal. Cox, eying some of the patches of green in the canyon Thursday, said it's easy to be fooled by recent storms that have helped turn parts of the state green, though the moisture hasn't completely reduced fire risks.
Utah is a tinderbox and fire danger is extremely high statewide.
–Utah Gov. Spencer Cox
About 83% of Utah is currently listed as having at least extreme drought conditions, including nearly 8% in south-central Utah, which is in exceptional drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report that was released earlier in the day. All parts of the state are experiencing at least some level of drought, and have for well over the past year.
"Because of the rain that we did have in May and early June, even the parts that look green are drier than you think right now," Cox said. "Utah is a tinderbox and fire danger is extremely high statewide."
Salt Lake City Fire Chief Karl Lieb says the conditions over the past few years have resulted in a "foregone conclusion" that there will be wildfires. The hope is that they can be extinguished quickly. That's mostly been the case so far this year, where the average fire is about 21.5 acres as of Wednesday. The lone exception is the Left Fork Fire, which has now scorched over 4,600 acres in southern Utah.
The Great Basin Coordination Center lists Utah as having above-average fire risks in June and July before it tapers off to normal in August with the help of monsoonal moisture patterns that are already impacting the state. This means that there is plenty of fire risk, at least for the Fourth of July holiday and possibly Pioneer Day, too.
Lieb says most people think of wildfires in remote parts of the state; however, the Wasatch Front could easily be at risk. He pointed to wildfires in communities of other Western states, like Colorado, that are designed in a similar fashion to cities in Utah. For instance, Salt Lake City's north, east and west boundaries all have wild-urban interfaces in addition to the parts where the Jordan River runs through.
City officials ban fireworks, which Lieb says act unpredictably, in and around these types of interfaces because using them could result in a wildfire that burns down homes and communities.
"We have wildland interface all around us, and this is a risk not only to property but it's a risk to lives," he said.
Choosing alternatives
Given the risks, South Jordan Mayor Dawn Ramsey, who is also the president of the Utah League of Cities and Towns, urged Utahns who have the itch to celebrate the July holidays with a boom to go to a professional show, mirroring Cox's message from last year when two-thirds of the state was in exceptional drought.
These shows, she pointed out, are approved by local fire marshals and often have fire department crews on standby in case something does go wrong.
"That is the safest way to enjoy fireworks this year," she said. "This year, making sure you support your local fireworks show might be a better alternative than doing your own in the cul-de-sac or wherever you live."
However, as Utahns celebrate the holidays, Cox is optimistic that they will make the right choice because of what happened last year.
Human-caused fires accounted for a little over 80% of all new fire starts when the governor pleaded for residents to skip personal fireworks last year. By the time the season ended, human-caused fires only accounted for about half of all fire starts in the state.
"We need people to do that again this year," he said. "So as you gear up for the Fourth of July and Pioneer Day celebrations and the fireworks that accompany these holidays, please stay vigilant, please use good fire sense if you choose fireworks at all, and please keep our communities safe."
