POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — Fire departments across Bannock County have announced a unified, county-wide burn ban set to begin on July 1. This ban prohibits all open burning and the use of fireworks within the county’s designated Wildland Urban Interface Areas due to the current high fire danger.
The ban comes on the heels of the West Clark Fire on the west bench of Pocatello, which burned over 200 acres.
“The hills and benches in and around Pocatello are covered in junipers, sagebrush, and cheatgrass that are prone to rapid ignition and extreme fire behavior,” said Pocatello Fire Marshal Dean Bullock. “It only takes a single ember to cause what could become a devastating wildfire. I strongly encourage all citizens to heed the ban and potentially save the lives and homes of fellow residents.”
The ban does allow for the use of commercial gas fire pits and appliances designed for cooking, such as gas grills and charcoal briquettes.
With the Fourth of July approaching, the Pocatello Fire Department is also issuing a strong warning regarding fireworks. Fireworks are a significant cause of wildfires, and extra patrols of police and firefighters will be deployed on Independence Day to ensure only “safe and sane” fireworks are being used within city limits.
“We saw this past week when we had that fire up on the West Clark area, that…it only takes one small spark to start a devastating wildfire,” Kim Stouse, Pocatello Fire Department. “Let’s just take a few extra steps to try to be mindful of that, because we don’t want to lose property or even worse, somebody (a person). We (firefighters) can’t be everywhere all the time. And so it does take a community to work together to keep everybody safe.”
For more information, click HERE.
