Campfire Safety Tips Leading Up To Labor Day Weekend

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – With Labor Day Weekend on the horizon, firefighters have a warning: Be cautious with your campfires.

Officials with the Unified Fire Authority said 11 percent of this year’s wildfires were started by campfires.

“When you’re walking away from the campfire, put your hand on the campfire, make sure that it is cool enough,” said UFA Public Information Officer Ryan Love. “That’s when it’s comfortable to leave it.”

It’s a warning that’s come time and time again, but people are still not listening.

Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest tweeted this:

#uwcnf employees have extinguished far too many very hot abandoned campfires recently on the Forest, this was one is located on the Logan Ranger District. “Abandoned camp fires cause wildfires…” pic.twitter.com/5gzqFN1a9O

— UintaWasatchCacheNF (@UWCNF) August 29, 2018

Prepare the campfire area

Firefighter Love said campfire prep is just as important as putting your campfire out.

“We want to make sure we clear an area of at least 10 to 15 feet on the ground,” he said.

He said pay attention to its location: “Most campgrounds will offer something like this with a steel drum to put your fire in.”

Have proper equipment handy

Have water and a scrapping tool near you.

“The best thing that we can do: watching the fire until it all the way goes out, until it burns to ash,” Love said. “It will naturally go out that way. If you’re going to bed and need to put it out, water and a tool to scrape with is your next best option.”

Pay attention to fuels and conditions

In addition, know what kind of fuels are near your campfire and if the weather conditions are appropriate to light one.

Thursday, many areas around the state are dealing with a Red Flag Warning, meaning conditions are highly unfavorable for prescribed burns which could spark a wildfire.

Specific rules during a red flag warning vary from state to state and depending on what land you are on. Check fire restrictions near you at utahfireinfobox.com/fire-restrictions.

Go to weather.gov/mqt/redflagtips to read about what to do if your area is under a Red Flag Warning.