Fire situation not as extreme but stage 2 restrictions still in place

Safety officials all want to be on the same page…

UPDATE:The Gunnison Basin Wildfire Council decided on Thursday, July 12 to keep the Stage-2 fire restrictions in place across the county. The board of county commissioners will review the situation at their meeting on Tuesday, July 17 and discuss whether to lift the stage-2 restrictions or implement the more lenient Stage-1 restrictions.

There is no doubt that a week of rain has helped ease some of the fire danger in the valley. But the problem isn’t completely solved and the forecast calls for a return to hot and dry weather. So, despite Governor John Hickenlooper lifting the statewide fire ban, Stage 2 fire restrictions are still in effect for Gunnison County. That could change as early as Thursday, July 12 when representatives of local agencies meet to assess the fire situation. They also plan to meet Wednesday, July 18.

The Stage 2 ban prohibits all campfires, charcoal grilling, outside smoking of cigarettes and cigars, and fireworks.
“I feel pretty good about it now with all the rain we have received,” admitted Gunnison Basin Wildfire Council chairman Dennis Spritzer. “But we are looking at the fuel moisture content in the local forests. We all need to discuss the situation, which is what we will do Thursday. But from where we were a week ago, we are in better shape now and the monsoons should come. It’s much better.”
Gunnison County Sheriff Rick Besecker admitted things are getting better with recent rains and a drop in temperatures but we aren’t out of the woods yet. “I’m not sure when we’ll go off Stage 2 restrictions,” he said. “It is still bone-dry within the sagebrush and within the trees it is still kiln-dry. It will probably be another week or two before we reevaluate it.”
“We all want to be on the same page,” added Crested Butte Fire Chief Ric Ems. “If we go back to Stage 1 restrictions or lift the restrictions, we want it to be countywide. It would be too confusing for people that they could grill in one spot but get a ticket for doing the same thing in another spot. That’s what we will discuss this week.
“But a lot of good things are shaping up,” Ems continued. “The nights are getting cooler. The rains have been consistent. People have been very aware and careful and that all helps.”
Crested Butte Chief Marshal Tom Martin agrees. “We will continue with what the county is doing to maintain consistency,” he said. “We are enforcing the restrictions but we are doing so with discretion.”
So while the restrictions have not yet been pulled, the situation is not as extreme as just a week ago. While the grasses are not totally dry and crunchy, the ground vegetation remains brown and thirsty. Local safety officials ask that everyone be careful and not do something that could still end up creating an emergency—especially if Mother Nature returns to the hot drought conditions we consistently experienced at the start of the summer.