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DAVIS COUNTY — Law enforcement officers with the U.S. Forest Service entered the holiday weekend Friday pleading with people to be careful with campfires and to not bring fireworks onto forest land.
Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer Tawny Myers said while campfires are not illegal on the federal forest land, people have started campfires in numerous ill-advised spots, including just a couple feet away from a Bountiful hillside full of bone-dry underbrush.
“Burning something that would blow debris into the brush — that would be a citable offense,” Myers said, pointing to charred pages of a math book that had been caught in the hillside’s grasses. “It’s all through this whole area — just burnt pieces that I’m sure someone just burned right in this area and it came over here into the brush.”
Myers said campers should not leave campfires until they are cold enough to stick a hand in and not get burned.
“Please, please, please don’t leave your fires burning,” she said.
Myers emphasized that fireworks are not only illegal to light on forest land, but illegal to possess. She said she had already encountered two people in the two weeks prior to the holiday weekend who had fireworks.
She cautioned that possessing fireworks on forest land can result in citations with significant fines and penalties.
“Generally that’s one thing we’re not lenient on is fireworks,” Myers said.
Myers also encouraged people not to litter or dump on forest land, pointing to one stream with two shot-up television sets in it.
“That’s going into people’s drinking water,” she exclaimed.
Myers also cautioned people to chart out their hiking routes in advance and to take plenty of water and warm clothing at night.
“Do it safely,” she said.
