Remain in place in Madison County
As fall brings cooler weather and precipitation, many local agencies have lifted their fire restrictions.
Fish, Wildlife and Parks on Sept. 13 lifted fire restrictions at its properties in Park and Gallatin Counties. This includes fishing access sites and wildlife management areas. FWP enacted Stage 1 restrictions into place Aug. 30 because of prevailing dry conditions.
Stage 1 restrictions were also lifted on the Gallatin National Forest that day, including in the Lee Metcalf and Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Areas, as well as from BLM lands and forested State and private lands in Gallatin and Park counties. The Park County burn ban is also rescinded, as is the one from state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation lands.
Burn permits continue to be required on the private lands within Gallatin and Park counties and are available at burnpermits.gov.
Stage 2 restrictions remain in effect in Madison County, including at Big Sky and Moonlight Basin resorts, and in the Yellowstone Club.
Under these restrictions, the following acts are prohibited:
– Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire unless noted in the exemptions below or as designated in the specific closure order.
– Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
Because the recent moisture was fairly scattered across the landscape, fire officials ask that everyone continue using extreme caution when recreating or working in woods to decrease the chance of fires. They caution the public not to be fooled by the cooler temperatures or the recent rain events: Grasses and lands are still susceptible to fire no matter the date on the calendar.
The Big Sky Fire Department sent out an email to constituents on Sept. 12 with advice in the case of a fire.
“Should there be a large fire in the Big Sky area, it would be important for you to keep informed and evacuate promptly when an evacuation recommendation is given,” the email stated.
The department suggested signing up for Gallatin County Emergency Management’s Emergency Preparedness Network System, which calls landlines with emergency information. To get this information on a cell phone, visit readygallatin.com/epns.
