Logan County commissioners consider new fire restriction ordinance before dry summer

Open burning in unincorporated Logan County could face tighter limits before summer, with commissioners weighing a new ordinance that would affect everything from yard debris burns to some agricultural work, outdoor events and equipment use when fire danger rises. Sheriff Brett Powell and emergency manager Josilyn Lutze have pushed for a stronger local response before a dry stretch turns into a fast-moving grass fire.

The county already has Ordinance No. 06-01, which restricts open fires and open burning in unincorporated Logan County when atmospheric and local conditions create a high danger of grass and prairie fires. The ordinance also puts the sheriff in the role of fire warden in prairie or grass fire situations and assigns a deputy fire marshal to handle fire prevention and fire control matters. That means any update would build on an existing system rather than start from scratch, but it could still change when residents, farmers and businesses are allowed to burn or operate in the open.

The practical impact matters in Logan County, where planning officials describe ranching, farming and animal feeding as central to the county’s economy, culture, landscape and lifestyle. Restrictions can reach far beyond campfires. They can affect whether a producer can burn piles of debris, whether a contractor can work with equipment that throws sparks, and whether a business can host an outdoor gathering without running into enforcement concerns as conditions worsen.

The push for a tougher ordinance comes after a sharp reminder of how quickly grass fire conditions can overwhelm local resources. A National Weather Service briefing on April 21 warned of prolonged strong winds, extremely low humidity and rapid wildfire spread across eastern Colorado plains counties, including Logan County, with minimum humidity forecast to fall to 4% to 9% during the highest-risk period. The weather service also issued a fire-weather watch or forecast covering the county in late April.

In February, a Logan County grass fire forced evacuations in Padroni and later a larger area that included Iliff. Officials said the fire burned about 3,500 to 4,000 acres and was sparked by a motor vehicle accident at Highway 113 and Logan County Road 66. More than a dozen fire departments from Colorado and Nebraska joined the response, underscoring how quickly a grass fire can move across open country.

Colorado State Forest Service materials say grass-dominated landscapes are prone to fire because of fine fuels and dry conditions, and that nearly half of Coloradans live in the wildland-urban interface. For Logan County, the current debate is about getting ahead of those conditions before a wind-driven fire exposes gaps in the county’s rules.