Fire restrictions for Maricopa County’s regional parks through October

Sep 27, 2024, 4:15 AM

The Maricopa County's regional parks will have its fire restrictions extend to Oct. 31. (File AP Photo)

(File AP Photo)

KTAR.com

PHOENIX – Dry conditions and limited moisture from the monsoon season will extend fire restrictions in Maricopa County’s regional parks through October.

The restrictions will stay until Oct. 31, the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department announced on Thursday.

Visitors to the parks will be prohibited to use all campfires, fire pits and charcoal grills. Smoking outside of vehicles and campers is also prohibited.

People can still use gas and propane grills in designated areas.

“The triple-digit temperatures and dry monsoon season have created the perfect circumstances for wildfires to spread quickly, posing a threat to communities across Maricopa County,” Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers said in a press release. “Let’s each do our part to stay safe and prevent fires.”

Three wildfires impacted the county’s parks this summer. In June, work on a railroad sparked the Rose Fire, which burned around 100 acres of the Hassayampa River Preserve. The park had to be temporarily shut down and evacuated.

The McDowell Mountain regional Park had over 1,000 acres damaged from the Gate Fire and McDowell Fire. The county said other close calls came near Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area and Cave Creek Regional Park.