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Eagle County will be lowering fire restrictions from Stage 2 to Stage 1 on Friday. The move aligns with the White River National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management Upper Colorado River District moving to Stage 1 restrictions on Friday after nearly a month of being in Stage 2 restrictions.

Stage 2 restrictions went into place on Aug. 8 as fire danger increased across western Colorado. Recent monsoonal moisture has lowered fire danger across the area and has provided an assist to firefighters combating fires across Colorado’s Western Slope.

Under Stage 1 restrictions:

• Campfires are only allowed within designated fire grates in developed picnic areas and campgrounds (including the Forest Service Homestake Valley designated dispersed camping sites in Eagle County); this means a metal, permanently installed in-ground containment structure — fire pans and rock campfire rings are not acceptable. 
• No fires of any type, including charcoal, outside of developed areas.
• Fully enclosed metal stoves common in hunting tents are allowed on the White River National Forest provided the chimney is at least 5 feet in length and has a spark arrester with a quarter-inch or less screen opening and the area is cleared of vegetation.   
• No smoking except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or in a barren area free of vegetation.
• No use of explosive materials, including explosive targets.
• No welding or operation of an acetylene or other similar torch with open flame except in an area that has been cleared of vegetation.
• No operation of any internal combustion engine without a spark-arresting device properly installed and in working order.

Officials consider several criteria when determining the need for fire restrictions, including current and anticipated fire danger, resource availability and consistency with neighboring jurisdictions. Local, county, state and federal officials within the area evaluate and coordinate fire restrictions weekly during fire season. 

In an effort to avoid confusion resulting from the potential for continuously changing restrictions during this period of fire danger, the sheriff has determined that it is in the best interest of the community to maintain the temporary suspension of the automatic fire restrictions triggered by red flag warnings.

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More information regarding the fire restrictions in Eagle County can be found at.