Federal, state agencies impose fire restrictions

For the second summer in a row, federal and state agencies have banned campfires and most other open flames, smoking outside vehicles and off-road vehicle operation on millions of acres of public lands in Nevada.

Restrictions announced by the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and the Nevada Division of Forestry take effect at midnight tonight.

This summer's restrictions affect about 8.5 million acres of BLM lands, as well as other public lands in the state.

Last year's restrictions were imposed 10 days sooner and covered about 5 million BLM acres. The 1999 fire season was Nevada's worst, with nearly 2 million acres of Nevada range burned.

This year's fire season has the potential to be even worse.

"We're approximately two months ahead of last year on fire danger indices such as low humidity and fuel moisture, and last year was a bad fire year," Ronna Hubbard, a coordinator for the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center, said Saturday.

''The potential exists for a significant number of large fires, similar to last year,'' the BLM said in a statement Friday.

''Most areas in Nevada are experiencing severe to extreme drought conditions. Live plant moistures in pinyon-juniper and sagebrush are extremely low for this time of year.''

Recent surveys also indicate the cheatgrass is drying two to three weeks ahead of last year's rate.

''Public lands in the Winnemucca District have a relatively continuous fire fuel bed, which is capable of carrying fires over long distances.''

Nevada had gone several years without summertime fire restrictions on BLM administered public lands before last summer, a BLM spokesman said at the time.

The new prohibitions issued by the Bureau of Land Management cover 8.5 million acres of BLM lands from near Gerlach north of Reno to Battle Mountain, BLM spokesman Dave Murphy said from Winnemucca.

Fires, camp fires and most stove fires are banned outside of developed recreation sites. Stove fires are allowed to continue if they use gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel.

Smoking is allowed only within an enclosed vehicle or at a developed recreation site. The use of explosives or fireworks is prohibited unless a special permit is obtained from the BLM.

The ban covers the BLM's entire Winnemucca District, reaching as far as the Elko County border in the northeast. It includes all of Humboldt and Pershing counties, the northwest one-fourth of Churchill County and a portion of northern Washoe County, Murphy said.

Anyone who violates the ban could be subject to up to 12 months in prison.

The NDF restrictions cover all areas, roads and trails within the Sierra Forest Fire Protection District in Carson City, Washoe and Douglas counties and the Storey County Fire Protection District.

The Forest Service announced it will implement campfire restrictions for all national forest lands below 7,000 feet that are outside of developed recreation sites within the boundaries of the Carson Ranger District.

Scott Sonner, an Associated Press writer, contributed to this story.