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Sanders County to enact Stage I fire restrictions

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Posted at 9:22 AM, Aug 12, 2022
and last updated 2022-08-12 11:22:57-04

THOMPSON FALLS - Sanders County will be moving into Stage I fire restrictions beginning on Monday, August 15.

Sanders County commissioners made the decision "in consideration of increasingly dangerous wildfire conditions."

The restrictions will be in place until further notice.

Stage I fire restrictions allow campfires in approved campgrounds only and limit individual smoking to enclosed vehicles or cleared areas.

Under Stage I fire restrictions, the following acts are prohibited until further notice:

  1. Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire unless noted in the exemptions below.
  2. Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
  3. Operating motor vehicles off designated roads and trails.

Stage I exemptions:

  • Persons with a written permit that specifically authorizes the otherwise prohibited act.
  • Persons using a fire fueled solely by liquid petroleum or LPG that can be turned on and off.
  • Persons conducting activities in those designated areas where the activity is specifically authorized by written posted notice.
  • Any Federal, State, or local officer or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force in the performance of an official duty.
  • Other exemptions unique to each agency/tribe.
  • All land within a city boundary is exempted.

Additional information about fire restrictions across Montana can be found at https://www.mtfireinfo.org/.