The Mesa County Sheriff, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Grand Junction Field Office, Colorado National Monument, and the Fire Chiefs representing municipalities and fire protection districts of Mesa County are implementing Stage 2 fire restrictions effective at 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 26, 2026. These restrictions apply to all private land and the Department of the Interior - BLM managed public lands within Mesa County. 

The GMUG National Forest moved to stage 1 fire restrictions on June 25, 2026. For current fire restriction guidelines on federal land, reference the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service websites.

Fire restrictions are implemented based on specific criteria, including the moisture content of vegetation, weather outlooks, and human risk factors. Please review the information below for prohibited actions and activities while in Stage 2 fire restrictions.

Stage 2 fire restrictions prohibit:

• The use of anything that produces an open flame that is not liquid-fueled or gas-fueled, including but not limited to:
  • Building, maintaining, or using a fire, campfire, charcoal grill, coal, wood-burning stove, sheepherder’s stove, tiki torches, fire pits, and chimineas, including in developed picnic, camping areas, and at private residences.
• Parking or driving a motor vehicle off established roads, motorized trails, or established parking areas unless the parking area has no vegetation within 10 feet of the vehicle.
• The personal use of any fireworks.
• Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building.
• Any unpermitted use of fire to burn debris or vegetation.
• Shooting tracer rounds or explosive-type targets or the use of explosives, including fuses, blasting caps, and rockets.
• Welding or operating acetylene or other torch with open flame EXCEPT in cleared areas of at least 10 feet in diameter and in possession of a chemical pressurized fire extinguisher.

Stage 2 fire restrictions allow:

• Only devices that are liquid-fueled or gas-fueled, gas grills, stoves, or lanterns with shut-off valves may be used at least three feet away from flammable materials such as dry vegetation.
• Gas fire pits are allowed under a fire ban so long as the fire can be “turned off” rather than “put out.”
• Agricultural burns only with a Sheriff’s Office-issued permit.

As we have witnessed in the past two months, a single spark has the potential to cause a dangerous fire and spread quickly when combined with the dry conditions and consistently high temperatures we have experienced.

In addition to adhering to stage 2 fire restrictions, community members are asked to be aware of all other potential fire dangers when outdoors. For example, unsecured chains dragging behind a vehicle can cause sparks, which ignite dry vegetation along the side of a road, or a hot exhaust pipe from a car parked in tall grass poses a significant fire risk. Additionally, cigarettes must be disposed of in proper receptacles and never thrown on the ground.