Utah
Extreme drought dips, but Utah adds new fire restrictions
SALT LAKE CITY — More fire restrictions are being added in Utah despite some recent help in its drought situation.
The Bureau of Land Management is reinstating Stage 1 fire restrictions on land it manages in Juab and Millard counties on Friday. State land managers issued a similar order for Juab and Sanpete counties, which applies to state lands and unincorporated private lands in the county.
It prohibits building or maintaining any open fire or campfires using solid fuels or any ash-producing fuel in the section of central Utah, except for fire rings or grills at developed campgrounds or day-use areas on public state lands that have a pressurized running water system.
Open fires are also permitted at permanently constructed fire pits at private residences, as long as they have a pressurized water system.
The order also bans any smoking except within a vehicle or enclosed area, as well as grinding, cutting or welding of metal, or operating or using any internal combustion engine without a spark-arresting device. Violation can result in fines, restitution fees and even jail time.
It matches several other Stage 1 restrictions already in place across the state. Most of the restrictions are located in southwest Utah, but recent restrictions have crept up into central Utah and parts of the Wasatch region, too.
Utah Fire Info maintains a list of active fire restrictions in the state.
Both new orders were signed amid some encouraging signs in Utah’s drought situation this week. The amount of extreme drought in the state dropped from 60% last week to 43% this week, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported earlier Thursday. Most of the improvement came in other parts of central Utah.
However, nearly 95% of the state remains in at least severe drought, and all other parts of the state remain in at least moderate drought. That means it’s still plenty dry for new fires.
Close to 250 different fires have been reported across the state this year, burning over 12,000 acres of land. The entire state is currently listed as having above-normal fire potential as well, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center.
“As fire danger continues to increase across the region, fire managers are asking the public to use caution with any activity that could spark a wildfire,” said Kayli Guild, fire prevention and communications coordinator for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
Fox News senior correspondent Alicia Acuna has the latest on two former Utah court clerks charged with harboring illegal aliens on ‘Special Report.’
Jennifer Joma and Lauren Moro, former Utah court clerks, plead not guilty to felony obstruction charges for aiding illegal immigrants. Federal prosecutors allege the clerks improperly accessed databases to identify undocumented individuals, then guided them out the courthouse’s back door to evade ICE agents. A trial is set for August.
SPRINGDALE, Utah — One of the most popular trails at Zion National Park in southern Utah has been closed for repairs just ahead of the busy summer season.
Angels Landing, which entices thousands to hike a trail many claim is one of the most dangerous inside the country’s national parks, was listed as closed on Thursday.
According to the National Park Service, the closure is due to damage to the chain section of the trail. Visitors use the chains to steady themselves while hiking up the steep and narrow path to the top.
There is no indication of when the trail will reopen, with the park service saying day-before lotteries for passes to gain trail access “may be canceled or delayed.” While Angels Landing will be closed, the trail up to Scout Lookout will remain open.
Angels Landing has been the site of more than a dozen deaths since 2000, with the latest fatal fall occurring in April when a 68-year-old Texas man fell during an afternoon hike.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A Utah couple turned a heartbreaking experience into a mission — and now they’re rallying everyday people across every industry to fight back against human trafficking.
Krissi and Tommy Green had no roadmap when they were first pulled into the fight. It started when a young girl in Europe reached out for help — and ended up being trafficked.
“I thought we were going to help her while her family was falling apart, and she ended up being trafficked,” Krissi said.
MORE | Pay It Forward
It took a year to get her out. Tommy said she was found with fourteen other teenage girls.
“She told us, ‘You have to keep sharing. There are many more like me,’” Krissi recalled.
That message became the title of Krissi’s book, “Many More Like Me,” and the origin of something much bigger.
“You have to keep sharing. There are many more like me,” Krissi was told. That message became the title of Krissi’s book and the origin of something much bigger. (Photo: KUTV)
The Greens founded Against Trafficking Industries, a nonprofit focused on advocacy, education, prevention, and funding recovery and aftercare for survivors.
“It’s happening in Salt Lake City,” Tommy said. “It’s such a huge problem, so extensive, too big.”
Their approach is different. Rather than asking people to take on the whole problem, they rally everyday people across music, business, and brands to chip in where they can.
“If you give twenty bucks a month and fifteen hundred people are doing that, we can fund these impact projects,” Tommy said.
And for those who feel overwhelmed by the scale of the problem, Krissi has a simple message:
“I can do this. I can be a part of somebody’s solution. I can be part of somebody’s new life and recovery.”
To honor their work, Mountain America Credit Union surprised the Greens with a gift through KUTV’s Pay It Forward program.
To learn more about Against Trafficking Industries, click here.
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