Fire Danger Rating Reduced

For the first time since June, Teton Interagency Fire officials have lowered the fire danger rating to “high” and in doing so, also lifted the fire restrictions in the park and on the forest.  Those restrictions, however, remain in effect for the county and other parts of the state.  Forest Spokesperson Mary Cernicek points out that even though the fire danger rating is decreasing, significant moisture is still needed to reduce the potential for new starts.  Cernicek says this year was one of the hottest and driest on record here, and it prompted fire managers to implement fire restrictions in late June.  She says the Park and Forest have had a minimum of a “high” fire danger rating since June 21^st. Cernicek says the typical cautions are still being voiced which are rooted in common sense when using open flame on the forest. She says the recent cooler temperatures have helped reduce the risk of wildfires starting on the forest – but she quickly adds that any moisture that we have received has been fairly scattered or non-existent  and fire officials are still urging extreme caution when recreating or working out in the woods.  Those cautions include never leave a campfire unattended, do not use incendiary or tracer ammunition, don’t discharge fireworks in the region, and when operating a vehicle off-road, be careful about driving into tall, dried-out grass.