With increasing humidity and the forecast of rain going into the weekend, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office is canceling all fire restrictions in the unincorporated area of the county as of 6pm today, Tuesday.  The County’s ban on the sale, use, and possession of fireworks is also rescinded.  Residents and visitors are reminded however, that fireworks are NEVER permitted on US Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management properties.

The fire danger rating was lowered from VERY HIGH to HIGH over the weekend in the valley, and in San Isabel National Forest and BLM lands as well.

The City of Salida and the Town of Buena Vista are expected to cancel their restrictions within the next day or two and the federal land managers likely will reduce or cancel theirs by this weekend.  These actions come as a result of frequent consultations among local, county, state, and federal officials and are based on the most recent data on moisture, fuels, and availability of fire suppression resources locally.

We regret the inconvenience to our visitors and strains on our local businesses affected by these restrictions.  We do not impose them lightly.