Fire danger is rising across Arizona, and state and federal agencies are responding. Starting Friday at 8 a.m., new fire restrictions will go into effect in central and western parts of the state due to increasingly dry conditions.
Stage 2 fire restrictions will apply on both state and BLM-managed lands. This includes areas in Gila, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Yavapai, and Yuma counties, as well as parts of Pinal and Pima counties.
Under these restrictions, the following activities are prohibited:
- Campfires or open flames (unless in a designated site)
- Smoking, except inside a vehicle or building
- Using internal combustion engines, like chainsaws
- Discharging firearms, unless legally hunting
- Using welding equipment or metal cutting torches
Officials say these rules are meant to reduce human-caused wildfires, which tend to increase as the weather heats up.