A federal agency issued restrictions on the use of fireworks and firearms on all public land in Tooele County last Thursday in light of increased fire danger.
A fire prevention order issued June 18 by the Bureau of Land Management-Utah West Desert District bars visitors on public land from possessing fire hazards such as fireworks and exploding targets while on BLM ground.
Previous orders only barred the use of such items.
Prohibited items include fireworks, exploding targets, tracer and incendiary ammunitions, and off-road vehicles that lack spark arresters. Steel-core, steel-jacketed, or steel tipped ammunition is also prohibited from June 20-Sept. 30.
“With rising temperatures, the grass and brush in the West Desert are drying and fire risk is quickly increasing, L.J. Brown, West Desert District Assistant Fire Management Officer, said in a press release.
Brown warned that ammunition packaging does not always indicate whether bullets contain steel. He said a quick test with a strong magnet touched to the tip of the bullet will help determine whether it contains steel.
The order applies to all BLM land located within Tooele County, as well as lands located in Salt Lake, Utah, Rich and Box Elder counties.
More information, including maps of locations of public lands in Tooele County, is available at www.blm.gov/ut, or 801-977-4300.