BLM Carson City urges public awareness of extreme wildfire danger
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 5:06pm
Extremely dry conditions has prompted the Bureau of Land Management Carson City District to urge cities, counties and residents to be aware of the increased chance of wildfire due to extreme dry conditions and warmer temperatures.
“The current conditions for this time of the year are dryer than what we have seen in the last 20 years," said Ken Smihula, fire management officer. “The public needs to be aware of the dry conditions and the very high risk of wildfire. We encourage everyone using public lands to be careful in regards to human-caused fires and take appropriate steps to prevent them.”
The following precautions should be taken:
Never leave a campfire unattended and always make sure they are dead out. Extinguish all campfires completely and stir ashes to make sure no hot coals remain.
Dispose of cigarettes in proper containers away from any flammable material.
If off-road vehicle use is allowed, internal combustion equipment should have a spark arrester. Avoid driving though dry vegetation.
Never use stoves, lanterns or heaters inside a tent.
Store flammable liquid containers in a safe place.
— Do not shoot any tracer bullets or incendiary ammunition.
— Shoot only at cardboard or paper targets, manufactured metallic targets or manufactured thrown-type clay targets.
Remember, shots fired across open desert can travel more than a mile.
At the first sign of a wildfire, leave area immediately by established trails or roads. Contact Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center at 775-883-5995.
To date, there have been six human caused fires and 26,891 acres burned on public lands within the Carson City BLM District.
For more information contact Lisa Ross at 775-623-6107.
