Tooele firefighters worry about ‘volatile’ conditions as fireworks go on sale in Utah
Jun 24, 2024, 5:56 PM | Updated: 10:46 pm
TOOELE — As fireworks go on sale Monday for Fourth of July celebrations, firefighters are dealing with some dangerous conditions in the West Desert.
The Tooele County Fire Warden, Dan Walton, said firefighters have been to Stansbury Island three times in three weeks to extinguish fires started by target shooting.
He said firefighters extinguished a fire on Monday that started Sunday because of an exploding target, which burned 45 acres. The other two fires involved steel ammunition or a steel target, instantly causing sparks and lighting things up.
The burn scar from one of the three fires that started in Tooele County in June 2024. (Mike Anderson, KSL TV)
According to Walton, about 145 acres have burned in the West Desert in the last few weeks because of these fires.
“What we had is a group of individuals out here recreationally target shooting. And they decided to use tannerite and tannerite as an exploding target,” he said.
The other worry now for Walton and fire crews is fireworks, as they respond to several fire calls because of fireworks in the West Desert every year.
“We’re advising everybody to be very cautious with not just fireworks but all the standard precautions,” said Kevin Nunn, the fire chief of the North Tooele Fire District.
As with many accidental fires, the people behind Sunday’s fire could face fines and restitution costs.
“The BLM takes it very seriously. This is everybody’s public land, and we want to protect it for generations,” said Michael Tateishi, a fire mitigation and trespass technician with the Bureau of Land Management.
On June 11, the BLM implemented a restriction on steel and exploding targets in the Tooele County desert due to the wildfire risks.
Tooele County fire and BLM crews at one of the burn scars. (Mike Anderson, KSL TV)
Both groups worry about populated areas being affected by a wildfire that could have been prevented. They ask Utahns to pay attention to current restrictions and check them online before heading out.
“We do our best to educate the public,” Walton said. “Things like putting in those fire restriction orders to help educate the public on just how dangerous it actually is.”
The fire warden said the current fire restrictions will likely change before July 4 and asked everyone to visit the Tooele County Fire website before leaving. BLM will allow fireworks on the Salt Flats on July 4 from Frontage Road.
