Wildfire season is coming up. And new restrictions on fireworks might help reduce the ones’ that are man-made.
“Shouldn’t come as a big surprise to people, with the abysmally low snowpack, relatively little precipitation, and the fuels are dry, fire season 2018 is at this point shaping up to be busier,” said Jason Curry, a spokesperson for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.
“There’s going to be more fires,” he said.
According to the National Park Service, humans cause the vast majority of wildfires by leaving campfires unattended, lighting fireworks and discarding cigarettes. Others are set by natural events like lightning.
The Utah legislature voted this year to cut back on the number of days people can use fireworks by nearly half. And lawmakers stiffened penalties for those who don’t follow the rules.