New fire restrictions took effect Monday across the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District as officials cited unseasonably warm temperatures and increasingly dry wildland fuels.
The restrictions, which remain in effect until further notice, align with an announcement from federal fire agencies serving western Nevada.
Prohibited activities include smoking outdoors, welding, operating an acetylene torch or other open flame torch, and operating a chainsaw or similar equipment powered by an internal combustion engine without a spark-arresting device. Drivers also are prohibited from operating or parking cars or other motorized equipment over dried or cured vegetation.
The restrictions also prohibit building, maintaining, attending or using fires, campfires or stove fires fueled by wood, charcoal or other materials outside developed fee campgrounds or picnic areas unless authorized by permit. Portable stoves using gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel remain allowed. Barbecues on private property in an established barbecue or campfire ring that is clear of flammable vegetation are currently permitted.
Officials also reminded residents that all fireworks, tracer ammunition and exploding targets are illegal year-round in Washoe County. Target shooting with steel-tipped ammunition is prohibited.
The district said the restrictions were necessary because local wildland fuels have dried significantly and several wildland fires have already occurred in Washoe County. Officials said those conditions make it more difficult to catch, contain, and extinguish new fire starts, increasing the risk to residents.
Under the adopted fire code, fire personnel have the authority to extinguish prohibited fires within the district and issue citations for violations. People also may face citation or arrest for conduct that interferes with fire suppression efforts under Nevada law.
Officials warned that people found responsible for starting a fire through disregard of the restrictions may be held financially responsible for the full cost of fighting the fire.
