County staff alert public to expanding stage‑2 fire restrictions on federal lands

County staff reported a change in federal fire restrictions affecting lands adjacent to Pennington County. Staff said about 77,000 acres on Bureau of Land Management acreage and other federal lands had been moved into higher restriction levels and the Black Hills National Forest was expected to move to stage two restrictions by the 27th of the month.

Jerome, a public‑safety/lands official, explained the practical differences between stage one and stage two: stage one typically requires permits for some open fires; stage two imposes stricter controls — for example, shutting off campground fire rings, banning welding or use of explosives, and restricting smoking to inside vehicles or otherwise beyond a specified bare‑ground buffer. Staff said county web pages would include links to the federal restrictions and urged residents to consult the county burn restriction page for the latest details.

Commissioners acknowledged the need to communicate clearly to county residents and asked staff to front‑page the county website with links to all three federal agency restrictions to reduce public confusion.