The list of possible locations to use fireworks is limited in Tooele County amid concerns about wildfires.
The state Department of Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, and federal Bureau of Land Management, have passed restrictions on several potential fire-starting activities, including lighting off fireworks, using tracer ammunition and exploding targets.
Those restrictions apply to all unincorporated land in Tooele County, which means Stansbury Park, Erda, Lake Point and other communities are affected by the ban, according to North Tooele Fire District public information officer Ryan Willden. Anyone caught violating the fire restrictions is violating state law and punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of $1,000.
The fireworks ban isn’t popular with residents of unincorporated Tooele County, Willden said. Some people have wondered about the ban after a wet spring, but Willden said those conditions creates more fuel for wildfires as vegetation dries out.
“Anytime there’s a ban like this, people are upset,” he said.
The Tooele County Sheriff’s Office and NTFD support the fire restrictions Willden said. He also said he hopes residents will use common sense.
In Tooele City, fireworks will be restricted to the same zone as the past several years, according to Tooele City Fire Chief Bucky Whitehouse. Fireworks are not allowed south of Main Street or Skyline Drive; east of Droubay Road or west of 1000 West.
Fireworks are also restricted north of 1600 North on the east side of Main Street and north of 2200 North on the west side. Residents in the restricted areas can use Dow James Park and Elton Park for fireworks.
In Grantsville, fireworks are restricted to the area of Willow Street west to West Street and Clark Street south to Durfee Street, according to Grantsville City Fire Chief Casey Phillips. There were two small fires last July 4 that were quickly put out, according to Phillips.
In a release on June 27, the Utah Wildland Fire Prevention and Education Team said 91 percent of wildfires so far in 2017 have been caused by human activity.
Fireworks can only be lit between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. on July 1 through July 7, with hours extended to midnight on July 4, and July 21 to July 27, with hours extended to midnight on July 24, according to Utah State Code.