MISSOULA — With Western Montana now in prime fire season, officials are implementing stage two fire restrictions for Missoula and Ravalli counties, alongside the City of Missoula, and state and federal land.
“They are essentially prohibiting certain activities that can occur in the hopes that we're preventing more human-caused fires,” said Adriane Beck, director of Missoula County’s office of emergency management.
Beck says that the restrictions cover a wide swath of activities.
Watch Story Here:
Starting Friday morning, there will be several things you won’t be able to do.
Campfires and burning, even on private property, are no longer allowed.
Fireworks, don’t even think about it.
Off-roading - also not allowed, as hot mufflers can catch brush on fire.
There will also be restrictions on welding, operating any equipment with an internal combustion engine, and explosives, from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. every day.
If you do perform those activities during the allowed hours, officials ask that you take extra precautions.
“We ask that people perform a one-hour foot patrol after the cessation of those, just to ensure that no sparks got into grass or any flammable material that could cause a fire later that afternoon,” said Beck.
But don’t worry, while there may be those time restrictions, often known as hoot owl hours, activities like floating are still allowed.
Beyond the restrictions, officials also say that signing up for emergency alerts, like through Smart911, and having a go bag are good precautions to take during the high fire danger.
