Duchesne County emergency manager warns of spring fire risk; Stage One restrictions planned April 1

Emergency Management Director Josh Phillips gave a weather and fire-risk briefing at the March 30 Duchesne County Commission meeting, warning of unusually dry spring conditions. Phillips said the county is seeing extreme low moisture levels and scorched pine trees from the Dry Fork Fire—conditions typically expected in late summer rather than spring.

Phillips said the county is under red-flag weather and noted that neighboring Uintah County is already under Stage One fire restrictions. He reported Engine 05 returned from Texas and will remain in the area. The county’s Fire Warden plans to start Stage One fire restrictions on April 1; residents seeking to conduct controlled burns must apply for a permit online, which the Fire Warden will evaluate on a case-by-case basis. Dispatch will not grant burn permission.

The commissioners and staff discussed communicating the permit process and reminding residents that if a controlled burn gets out of control, the responsible party would bear the cost of suppression.