Concerning weather in Colorado has pushed local authorities in the Denver metro area to issue fire restrictions, including in Englewood, Centennial and much of the rest of Arapahoe County.
The county cited the “extremely dry conditions in unincorporated Arapahoe County, Centennial, Foxfield, and Deer Trail” in an April 21 news release.
A Stage 2 open burning ban is in place for Centennial, Foxfield, Deer Trail and unincorporated areas of Arapahoe County, an April 21 announcement said.
“Unincorporated” means an area is not within a city or town. Unincorporated areas generally are overseen by a county government.
Some Arapahoe County areas
There are three stages of burn ban statuses: no ban, Stage 1 and Stage 2, according to Arapahoe County’s website.
Stage 2, the most restrictive ban, means no fireworks or any other outdoor fires are permitted, according to the county.
The ban applies to fires including, but not limited to, the following types:
• Campfires;
• Fires in constructed, permanent fire pits or fire grates within developed camp and picnic grounds and recreation sites;
• Charcoal-fueled fires, warming fires, fires in outdoor wood-burning stoves;
• And the prescribed burning of fence lines, fence rows, fields, farmlands, range lands, wild lands, trash and debris.
Exemptions to the ban include the following:
• Fires contained within liquid-fueled or gas stoves, fireplaces and “wood burning stoves/fireplaces” within habitable buildings;
• “Propane/LP/natural gas” fueled barbecue grills used for cooking or warming food, which do not produce or emit sparks or embers when used;
• Charcoal-fueled grills and pits used for cooking or warming food, which do not produce or emit sparks or embers when used;
• “Propane/LP/natural gas” fueled fire pits that do not produce or emit sparks or embers when used;
• Fire set by any federal, state, or local officer or member of a fire protection district in the performance of an official duty;
• Public fireworks displays supervised by appropriate firefighting or public safety personnel and supported by adequate equipment assigned to be on the scene.
Englewood
The City of Englewood also issued a Stage 2 Fire Ban, the city said in an April 21 news release.
The ban prohibits fireworks or any other outdoor fires including, but not limited to, the following types:
• Campfires;
• Fires in constructed, permanent fire pits or fire grates within developed camp and picnic grounds and recreation sites;
• Charcoal-fueled fires, warming fires, fires in outdoor wood-burning stoves;
• And the prescribed burning of fence lines, fence rows, fields, farmlands, range lands, wild lands, trash and debris.
The authority to implement an open burning ban is provided by Title 6 of the Englewood Municipal Code, the city’s laws, according to the news release.
“The City of Englewood’s Open Burn Ban shall be enforced as a City Ordinance violation that, upon conviction, could result in fines up to $1,000,” the release said. “Residents should be aware that it is illegal to possess, store, sell, use, or shoot fireworks within the City of Englewood.”
For more information in Englewood, the public can contact City of Englewood Fire Marshal Mike Smith at mjsmith@englewoodco.gov.