With fire season already underway in Tooele County, fire officials are reminding residents about ways to protect their properties from wildfire this summer.
According to Tooele County Fire Warden Daniel Walton, there have already been 18 fires in the county of various sizes. With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reporting grass moisture at 1 to 3 percent, and 10-hour fuels (1-3 inches in diameter) at 6 to 10 percent moisture, fuel sources for wildfires are already ahead of schedule.
After a number of wildfires last year, including a grass fire that destroyed 11 homes and damaged 17 more on July 19, Tooele City has strengthened its ordinance on mow strips during a city council meeting Wednesday night. The ordinance requires a 30-foot wide mow strip on vacant or open properties larger than 5 acres.
“I think it’s really great that Tooele City is setting the precedent with that 30-foot ordinance,” Walton said. “I’d like to see Tooele County set a similar ordinance.”
Bucky Whitehouse, Tooele City’s fire chief and Tooele County Emergency Management director, said the new ordinance, which doubles the required width of mow strips on open or vacant properties, is another tool to prevent fires from spreading. He said mow strips were effective in containing a 10-acre fire at England Acres Park last August.
“The fire that we had there last summer burned fairly aggressively right until it reached the mow strips that were placed down there,” Whitehouse said.
The city has also enhanced its ability to take action on delinquent property owners with unmaintained vegetation growth, Whitehouse said. If a property is deemed to be at high risk, the city can mow the property then bill the property owner for the work.
While Whitehouse said the ideal solution is property owners taking care of mow strips themselves, there are properties within city limits, and large perimeter properties not directly connected, which are a concern.
For property owners not affected by the mow strip ordinance, creating a defensible space free of tall grass, tree debris and other flammable materials can aid firefighters by giving them an area to battle the fire from, according to Walton and Whitehouse. Cutting potential fuel sources to below six inches and keeping branches away from homes and other structures can limit the damage a fire does, Whitehouse said.
Reducing “ladder fuels,” such as tall grass, which can allow flames to reach into trees or structures, can also limit fire impact, Walton said. Cutting grass around trees and removing lower limbs on trees can prevent fire from reaching the upper canopy of the tree.
Another simple thing for property owners to remember — call 911 as soon as possible when a fire is located so fire crews can respond to suppress the blaze, Whitehouse said.
In addition to protecting their property from potential fires through smart landscaping choices, residents should also ensure they’re not doing anything to start a fire. According to Whitehouse and Walton, 98 percent of fires in Tooele City and 95 percent of fires in Tooele County originate from manmade causes.
Beginning today, the state Department of Natural Resources placed Tooele County under fire restrictions due to extremely dry conditions. The restrictions affect public and private property in unincorporated Tooele County.
The restrictions include setting, maintaining or using open fires except in improved campgrounds, picnic areas or home sites with access to running water and smoking outside of vehicles, residences or areas paved or free from dry vegetation. Fireworks, tracer ammunition and exploding targets, as well as similar pyrotechnic devices, are prohibited.
The restriction also applies to cutting, welding or grinding near dry vegetation or use of a motorcycle, chainsaw, ATV or other small combustion engine without an approved or working spark arrestor. A violation of the restriction can result in 6 months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
Whitehouse said fires in Tooele City have been caused by kids playing with lighters in vacant fields and migrating hot coals. Walton added mowing, unattended campfires, welding, firing guns and hot catalytic converters as fire starters seen in the county.
“Just three weeks ago, we had a wheel bearing go out on a vehicle and it got so hot it was sending hot oil slag onto the side of the road,” Walton said.
With firework season in Utah rapidly approaching, Whitehouse and Walton said they are concerned about the possibility of related fires. There are already at least eight firework retailers authorized to sell in the county in July.
Walton said there were 13 individual fires started the evening of July 4 last year, with most connected to use of fireworks.
Anyone with concerns about neighboring properties and a fire hazard they might represent can contact the Tooele City Fire Department at 435-843-2200 or Walton at 435-833-8123. Most enforcement of delinquent properties is driven by complaints, Whitehouse and Walton said.
“If they have a concern with a neighboring property that’s causing a potential fire hazard to them or their neighbors, bring it up and let’s identify the person that’s causing the issue,” Walton said. “Let’s bring it to their attention we think it’s an issue and let’s do what we can to mitigate it.”