Governor Spencer Cox announced Thursday temporary statewide fireworks restrictions, citing that “Utah faces extraordinary wildfire conditions that have produced hundreds of fires, exhausted firefighting resources and created some of the most dangerous fire behavior in state history.” An executive order issued June 25, enables the state forester to prohibit fireworks statewide during the upcoming July 4th holiday while allowing municipalities, in consultation with their local fire officials, to designate areas where fireworks may still be used safely. This order applies through July 5 and state officials will evaluate wildfire conditions before determining whether any restrictions are necessary for the July 24 Pioneer Day holiday. This came the same day that the Bureau of Land Management announced Stage 2 Fire Restrictions for BLM Utah Public Lands. This prohibits all open fires of any kind; smoking, except within a vehicle or enclosed area; any grinding, cutting, and welding of metal; and operating or using any internal combustion engine without a spark arresting device.
