As fires burn across the Western Slope, the Bureau of Land Management’s Kremmling Field Office has instituted Stage 2 fire restrictions on its land in Grand, Eagle, Summit and Larimer counties.

In Grand County, BLM land is mostly concentrated on the western side of the county.

“With the forecasted dry weather patterns and the dry conditions of the fuels, we are asking the public to help reduce the risk of wildfire,” the agency stated in a news release.

Stage 2 restrictions go into effect at midnight Aug. 20 and prohibit:

• Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire or stove fire. (Gas stoves with on-off controls are permissible.)
• Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area at least 3 feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
• Operating a chain saw or other equipment powered by an internal combustion engine.
• Welding, operating a torch with open flame or any activities that generate flame or flammable material.
• Using of explosives or incendiary devices, including but not limited to exploding targets, fireworks and tracer ammunition.

Anyone caught in violation could face a fine of up to $1,000, 12 months of imprisonment or both. Additionally, if a fire results from a violation, the violator is responsible for paying the suppression and damage costs.

In early August, the Windy Gap fire burned about 30 acres west of Granby before being contained. As of Aug. 18, county-managed land and Sulphur Ranger District land managed by the U.S. Forest Service remain in Stage 1 restrictions.